Connacht camp ready for huge Amlin Cup test
Date Published: {J}
ABOUT two years ago, Connacht centre Niva Ta’auso hadn’t even heard of the province he now stars for. In fairness, there weren’t many in Connacht who had heard of Niva Ta’auso either. Connacht Manager, Tim Allnutt was one of the few.
The 30-years-old Samoan – who had moved to New Zealand aged 18 where he played rugby at Wesley College, which boasts alumni such as All-Black Jonah Lomu – was playing professionally for Super 14 side the Highlanders, when he was spotted by Kiwi Allnutt.
The former Junior All-Black arrived on these shores in October 2008 after several telephone conversations with fellow countrymen Ray Ofisa and Troy Nathan, who had already made the move to Connacht, convinced him of the career move.
The powerful running centre has become a regular in the Connacht side since his first appearance, a memorable and historic win over Munster at the Sportsground in December last season.
His parents, who christened him Manu O Niniva Ta’auso – although he uses the shortened version for the benefit of a former coach who couldn’t pronounce his name and for the benefit of radio and TV rugby commentators – had never heard of Connacht two years ago either but are now devoted fans of the province, too.
“It’s tough when they are on the other side of the world and it’s hard for them to see the games,” says Ta’auso, but adds he will be sending a video recording of Friday night’s semi-final clash with Toulon, one of Connacht’s most important ever games and Ta’auso’s biggest match with the Province.
Since his move, the crowd at the Sportsground has embraced Motootua-born Ta’auso as if he were reared in Monivea, something he appreciates and he feels the supporters will be a massive advantage when Connacht welcomes the French outfit to College Road for the province’s first European semi-final in five seasons.
“This year, nearly every game has been packed at the Sportsground so that’s good and a big crowd really helps the lads,” he says.
“We’ve come on well this year and the togetherness and hard work is paying dividends for us. We’re pretty confident and we’ve played good rugby in the last few weeks because of all the hard work we put in last year. We just want to continue with that.
“It’s about self-belief. We take every game as it comes and we have just believed that we’ll get the win every game, especially at home. It’s our home ground, which is a positive and I know Toulon have big players and a big squad but I’m confident with our team. It’s a massive game for us and we have to be confident and look at the positives. Our self-belief is strong and we believe we can win any game we play.”
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.