'Give him a passport': Fans go wild over African singer's 'best ever' rendition of the Australian national anthem at the Bledisloe Cup - after he arrived as a refugee with just a guitar
Rugby fans hailed an African singer's version of the Australian national anthem at the Bledisloe Cup the 'best ever'.
David Nduwimana sang Advance Australia Fair before the third match of the rugby series between the Australian Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
His passionate rendition of the anthem had the Wallabies up in arms and roaring the lyrics before their clash with their arch rivals.
Fans on social media proclaimed Mr Nduwimana's national anthem as one of the best of all time.
David Nduwimana sang Advance Australia Fair at the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday
'Can this man always sing the anthem please?' one tweet reads.
'How awesome to see ALL our Wallabies singing their National Anthem!' another wrote.
'Took an African to correctly sing the Australian National Anthem. Fantastic,' one post reads.
'We win the anthem go Burundi,' another comment reads. 'Give him a passport!'
Mr Nduwimana left his family behind and fled from African country Burundi seven years ago, in the leadup to a military coup, before settling in Australia.
He arrived with an economics degree and a guitar and did not know a single person in the country, but wanted to immerse himself in Australian culture.
A chance meeting with Rugby Australia interim chief executive Rob Clarke and his wife Kylie at St Matthews Church in Manly in 2016 set Mr Nduwimana's life on track in Australia.
'Rob was there through the ups and downs,' Mr Nduwimana told Sydney Morning Herald.
'He’s just holding you, giving hugs, giving some love. He saw me cry many times. He saw me when I couldn’t do anything because you feel like you’re in limbo and don’t know what’s happening. You miss your family and friends and people around you.'
Fans called Mr Nduwimana's rendition of the anthem one of the best of all time. Pictured: the Wallabies huddle before kick off in the third Bledisloe Cup test match at ANZ Stadium
Mr Nduwimana started living with the couple as his music career began to flourish, before he was granted permanent residency.
Mr Clarke wanted to honour Mr Nduwimana's new status in Australia and gifted him the chance to sing the national anthem at the final match of the Bledisloe series.
'It’s been a journey of heartache for Dave in many respects because he’s left his family behind,' he said.
'He was stunned. I wanted him to have this wonderful experience as a way of celebrating his new life, free from fear of persecution in Australia, which was recently granted by our federal government.'
Mr Nduwimana's song was the highlight of the night for Australia, with the Wallabies copping a 43-5 thrashing from the All Blacks to hand the Kiwis the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th straight year.
New Zealand piled on six tries to one, with five-eighth and man-of-the-match Richie Mo'unga bagging a brilliant double and a 23-point personal haul as the All Blacks seized an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-game series with a record-breaking win.
'We're hurting a lot from that,' Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said.
'It's a hit to the confidence now. We've got to go back and look at sticking to our game plan.'
The Wallabies lost 43-5 to hand All Blacks the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th straight year. Pictured: Jordie Barrett celebrates with All Blacks teammates during the match