Melbourne Rebels prop Sam Talakai has backed fellow tight-head Taniela Tupou to deliver as they look to eradicate their poor starts against the NSW Waratahs.
Tupou has floated between the bench and starting in his opening month in Melbourne after making the move down to the Reds.
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He has started just twice in the first five games of 2024, only lasting 32 minutes against the Reds a fortnight ago.
The 27-year-old has also dealt with a hand injury but Talakai was adamant Tupou was close to returning to his bulldozing best.
“He’s had a tough month and let’s not forget, the last 3-4 years he’s had a lot of workload on his shoulders whether it’s at the Reds or playing big minutes for the Wallabies, especially in a World Cup campaign come back from his Achilles injury,” Talakai said.
“We’re just going to be there for him and help him find his mojo because once he does, we know that he’s devastating.
“It’s going to take time for Nela as he comes into a new environment for the first time since moving from Tonga. He played very well last week and I have no doubt that he will have the same impact this week.”
The Rebels are focused on turning around their slow starts after allowing the Hurricanes to build a 33-0 lead before half-time.
It's been a consistent theme for the club, who have conceded 12 tries in the first 30 minutes of their four defeats.
“This season, what’s just killing us is the accuracy in our game and teams understand and are attacking us at the start of games with a clean plan," Talakai believes.
“We need to understand tactically what we’re trying to achieve in the first five or ten minutes and get results.
“For us, it’s not about talking about what we can do, it’s about delivering on those actions on field.”
