AUSTRALIA

News | Profile | Anthem | Fixtures | Results

Tahu itching to start

Tuesday 26th August 2008

Tahu: Ready to take on the Bok midfield

He thought it would take three years but it has taken Timana Tahu just 23 minutes of Test rugby to be in the reckoning for a spot in the Wallabies' starting side to take on South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday.

And the dual international is confident that it's enough time to have him ready.

There was never any doubt about Tahu's talent and neither, it seems, was there any doubt in national coach Robbie Deans' mind that the former National Rugby League star could learn the intricacies of rugby's inside centre position quickly.

Deans declared the 27-year-old's readiness the day after he had played 20 minutes off the bench in his second Test, last Saturday's tough 27-15 win over the Springboks in Durban, and Tahu followed suit on Tuesday.

"Yeah, I'm ready," he told AAP.

"I've been preparing all season for this moment and if it does come up I'll be happy to get in that position, but we'll see what happens during the week and see what Robbie wants to do.

"Ryan Cross has been playing really good so we'll see what happens."

Deans sees Tahu as a natural number twelve and his promotion will come down to whether the coach sees either skipper Stirling Mortlock or Cross as a makeshift one for this Saturday's clash with the struggling Springboks in Johannesburg.

Australia are desperate for a win at Ellis Park for the first time since 1963.

Tahu said last week's hit-out had answered some questions in his own mind, and not only whether the big South African stadiums would be a step up from Newcastle or Parramatta.

Not that he expected to be there yet.

"I was thinking maybe two, three years, maybe cracking the Wallabies, but it's come around quick," he said.

"But I've trained hard and I've prepared myself well so if it does come to Saturday where I do start I think the team and Robbie will have confidence in me and I'll have confidence in myself as well."

Tahu said Deans was a coach the players wanted to play for.

"The things he does tell me are really important and I take them in," he said.

"He's been really good to me. Just at training, little things that I need to work on my game he helps me, if it's skills or if it's just talking about mindset during the games.

"He makes everyone in the whole camp feel confident."