One day in the busy BYU library, he was seated at a table with a leg brace and crutches by his side.
Deep in his studies, he hardly looked like someone whose rugby season had been completely disrupted by injury — while also balancing the demands of being a nursing student.
BYU rugby player Salesi Mounga recounted that fateful event.
“I initially injured it in a game against Colorado State University. I went up to catch a ball on a kick return, and when I came down, I hyperextended my knee, but I felt fine, so I played the rest of the game, and then after the game, it was just super swollen," he said. "Two weeks later, in practice, I did the same thing. I went up for a kick. Came down with the ball, hyperextended it again, I just heard a snap.”
He added, “And then I got the MRI a few days later, and ... everything was just messed up.”
While many people struggle to cope with bad news and find themselves in a difficult place, Mounga responded with a far more positive, action-oriented approach.
“Honestly, I wasn't too bummed out,” Mounga said. “I knew it was gonna take a while to heal. But, like, in my mind, the only thing I was thinking about was ... my plan of action going forward, how I can recover as soon as possible.”
When asked about the most challenging part of his recovery, it seemed to be more mental than physical.
“I’d say the hardest challenge is just being patient with the recovery process,” Mounga said."Honestly, it hasn't been that painful. The other weekend, I tried to speed walk, slash run around, even though I'm not supposed to.”
Mounga said that the thing he has learned the most is how to be more patient with himself and this process.
From going to the fast-paced sport that rugby is, to slowing down and taking time to rest has been a struggle for Mounga to accept.
He spoke on the missed-out goals for the fall 2025 season.
“Just play good, win some games, and tackle a lot of people,” he said. “I miss tackling people .... Those aspects of a game. It's just really aggressive. I miss just being able to run, like sprint.”
He spoke about missing time spent with his team.
“There's a special bond there," he said, "the rugby team, like, I guess with any sports team that you play on, that you don't get anywhere else, so that's what I miss the most.”
He praised their support during this time of his injury. He returns that support when physical therapy and classes don’t get in the way. He makes the effort to support wherever he can.
But besides rugby being a main motivator in his life, he spoke about what is motivating him during this recovery time.
“I just like being in shape in general. I like taking care of myself. So that's my motivator. Just stay healthy,” he said.
Then he shared how being a nursing student helped him frame this injury in his mind.
“Like, being a nursing student, I understand the importance of, like, adhering to whatever the doctor ... prescribes to you, and just understanding the healing process. Down to, like, the molecular level or whatever ... It's helping me become more patient,” he said.
When asked what advice he would have given himself at that Colorado State game he said, "I would have told myself in that game to take a break, instead of trying to play through it,” he said. “Because I did it there initially. And then two weeks later, I made it worse because I didn't rest. But hey, you can't go back in time.”
Mounga knows the recovery will take about nine months, but he's determined to stay ahead of schedule. And if he can return to rugby, he will.
What he can do now is keep moving forward, one patient step at a time.