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Ben Tameifuna admits that he had a “setback” after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Huge Tongan mainstay Ben Tameifuna can handle the teasing about his weight issues, as a dedicated training regimen has brought him back to his preferred playing weight of around 146kg.
The former Waikato and Chiefs player found himself in trouble with his Racing 92 club last year when he returned from the Rugby World Cup to the French scene at around 160kg.
He has passed the Bordeaux-Begles club from the Top 14 and is in good spirits as the championship picks up speed after being so badly hit by the Covid-19 crisis.
The 29-year-old Tameifuna, deceptively lithe for such a large body, is no stranger to criticism about her weight, but shrugs as a would-be tackler.
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“I don’t really care what people write,” said Tameifuna, a former New Zealand under-20 representative who has been in France since 2015. RugbyPass. “Will they run straight at me? Sometimes I look at those things and laugh at it.
“Yes, it’s true, but come and stand in front of me and say it. I really do not care. I am what I am, take me as I am, and if you don’t like it, too bad, there are a lot more people out there.
“If you let that get to you, you will go into dark places, get even bigger, and end up retreating. And somehow it pushes me to try a little harder, you know? “
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The 29-year-old said his weight gain after the World Cup was the result of a setback following a relentless schedule. He returned to New Zealand and partied, eating and drinking, all the while knowing that he would face a difficult time upon his return to France.
“We came out of a long season, we had three weeks off before preparing for the World Cup, then another couple of months of crushing you, preparing for one of the toughest competitions in the world,” said Tameifuna. RugbyPass.
“You have to try harder at that, I went through the World Cup, I made it to the end and to be honest my mental strength was … after almost 10 months in a row of rugby, I blew myself away. I went home, saw my family every day, went out, had fun, spent a few nights with the boys and let me go.
“I knew from all the food that I was gaining weight, but when it came time to go back, I expected Racing to tell me it was too big. Once I got back I knew I was in a rut no matter what. I have had my rest, the little holidays are over, now is the time to get back to routine and play my best football again. “
Hannah Peters / Getty Images
Former Chiefs mainstay Ben Tameifuna has become something of a cult hero during his time in France.
Bordeaux-Begles was at the top of the Top 14 when the 2019-20 season was abandoned due to the pandemic. Tameifuna used the confinement to work hard in his training and remained disciplined. He’s reaping the benefits now, determined to get back to his best, and admitting he’s been a bit disappointed in recent years.
“I personally knew that the last two or three seasons I had not been at my best. I’ve been fine, but I know I can be better. When I got back it was going to be boom boom boom, and so far I’ve been fine. Today I have dropped to 146 kg, which is more or less what it was when I came to France in my first season.
“Since the World Cup and through the isolation of Covid-19, I had to maintain the mentality of ‘it is still time to play’ and to play my best football.”
