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Tahu to be fully fit for centre debut
Bret Harris | March 11, 2008
Tahu to be fully fit for centre debut | The Australian
A RECYCLING plant in Sydney's western suburbs was an appropriate venue to talk to rugby league convert Timana Tahu about making an old position new again.
Tahu was playing in the centres for NRL team Parramatta Eels when he signed to play with the Waratahs, but he has spent his first three Super 14 games on the wing.
But a potential backline reshuffle could see Tahu playing in his preferred outside centre position in a calculated gamble against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday week.
The return from injury of utility backs Sam Norton-Knight and Daniel Halangahu is expected to force changes in the Waratahs' backline. If Norton-Knight starts at fullback, Lachlan Turner would move to the left wing, creating an opportunity for Tahu to play in the No13 jersey for the first time.
The current Waratahs centre combination of Tom Carter and Ben Jacobs is solid, but they lack attacking flair and are too similar.
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie would have noticed that another rugby league convert, Western Force's Ryan Cross, played well at outside centre against the Crusaders in Perth on Sunday.
"Getting selected in the centres would probably be a good thing," said Tahu, who was attending a Waratahs' promotion for team sponsor Visy Recycling. "That's where I wanted to play.
"Benny Jacobs and Tom Carter are playing good football. There's a lot of pressure on us at the moment. Sam Norton-Knight is coming back and Lachie has been playing good at fullback.
"Hopefully, I'll get on the run-on side at least. From there we'll see what Ewen does."
Tahu, who played left centre in rugby league, said he would rather play outside, than inside centre.
"Twelve is more bash and crash and it doesn't really suit my game," Tahu said. "I like getting the ball out wide and try and do things, create stuff, but 13 is more the position." He's obviously been watching Cross.
The reason Tahu started his rugby union career on the wing was to allow him to learn the game before playing in a more demanding role at outside centre.
"It's a lot different," Tahu said. "As a back playing rugby league, if you are playing wing or centre, you get put on one side and you just work that channel whereas in union the wing can float around everywhere. You can play as a 10. You can play as a fullback sometimes.
"There's more thinking and you have to be more versatile."
Tahu is confident of being fit to play the Crusaders after missing the Waratahs' 24-17 win against the Brumbies in Sydney last Friday with a hamstring injury.
"I trained this morning," Tahu said. "I didn't do any running. It was just bike and weights.
"It's feeling good at the moment. I'll run tomorrow. Hopefully, by the Crusaders game I'll be right."
With a history of hamstring injuries in rugby league, Tahu is conscious of treating his current strain with proper care. "They are very delicate the hamstrings," Tahu said.
"It's just something you have to let time heal."
Playing against the unbeaten Crusaders will be the biggest challenge Tahu has faced in his brief rugby career.
"It is a good test to see where we are at," Tahu said. "With the rain we have let ourselves down a little bit and made a few errors. During the Brumbies game we were a bit sloppy, but you couldn't blame them because it was raining pretty heavily.
"Hopefully, if it's a dry track, we can put on a show and give the Crusaders a bit of competition."
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