Kiwis rookie out for revenge in battle against Bravehearts

If I can play good 80s here, then I’m pretty sure I can push myself to get that starting spot at my club.

Rookie Kiwis back-rower Joseph Tapine is keen to dish out some payback when New Zealand meets Scotland in Saturday’s Rugby League World Cup pool encounter in Christchurch.

The 23-year-old is looking to build on a man of the match performance in last Saturday’s tournament opening 38-8 win over Samoa, and the Canberra Raiders forward also has a personal grudge to settle when he takes the field against the Bravehearts at AMI Stadium.

Tapine is still seething after Scotland spoiled his debut test appearance for the Kiwis, when they claimed an 18-18 draw at Workington during the Four Nations tournament in England last November.

“Definitely I want to get one back on them,” said Tapine. “That draw really hurt me last year. It was my debut, so I definitely want to go out this weekend and just go hard and get that win.”

Tapine came off the bench in that memorable (or forgettable) match, and again in the loss to Australia in the tournament final.

Tapine got through a mountain of work against Samoa — making a team-high 35 tackles and 13 runs for 126 metres — and surprised himself by playing the full 80 minutes after playing just four full games in 22 outings for the Green Machine this year.

He’s willing and ready to do it all again and hopes churning out big minutes will help him play a more dominant role in the Canberra pack next season.

“It was a daunting task. I was a bit afraid of it at the start because I hadn’t really played a full 80, especially at international level, and heaps of the boys just helped me through it,” he said. “The trainer came out and was telling me just to keep going, saying ‘you’re playing for your country’ and stuff like that.

“That gave me some motivation, but I had the little guy on the shoulder telling me to quit, but I just had to keep going. I need to keep pushing myself to play the 80 and just keep improving.

“And it shows I can do that at my club as well, because I haven’t really cemented a starting spot.

“If I can play good 80s here, then I’m pretty sure I can push myself to get that starting spot at my club.”