Big T born to deliver goods
GIANT WINGER CAN PROP UP AILING SAINTS
NORTHAMPTON have everything against them ahead of their European quarter- final at Exeter on Sunday with a prop crisis and a plunging form graph – but they do have Taqele Naiyaravoro.
Nobody in the Champions Cup has beaten more defenders this season and nobody has thrown more successful off- loads.
If the Saints need divine inspiration at Sandy Park, he is their supersized miracle man.
‘ Big T’ is a giant of surprising talents. On the rugby field he is a rumbling bowling ball; off it he is a dab hand at midwifery.
The arrival of Miriama North – named after Northampton – seven months ago, took Naiyaravoro back to the birth of first child, Ella, in Australia when he was playing for the Waratahs.
“I delivered our first one,” revealed the Fiji- born wing, who was capped twice by the Wallabies.
“We had gone to the hospital in Sydney but we were told my wife Ethel wasn’t dilated enough so we got the train back home. I wasn’t driving then. As soon as we got home she started having contractions and I thought, ‘ Oh, no’.
“I’d done a first aid course in high school and there was one slide on giving birth. I didn’t pay attention to much at school but luckily enough I paid attention to that and I kind of remembered it.
“I got the towels down on the bed and laid her down.
“We had the ambulance on the line and they asked if I could see the head.
I told them, ‘ It’s sorted. I’ve already wiped the mouth out!’”
At 19st 9lb, Naiyaravoro is built along Jonah Lomu lines, although this is a slimline version compared to seven years ago when he was with Wests Tigers in rugby league and ballooned to 22st 11lb.
“I don’t want to go back to that,” he said. “But my main way to the line is going through people. If I try to go around them they catch me!”
With confidence shot after their domestic stumbles and the side down to their last loose- head prop – teenager Manny Iyogun – Northampton need another hands- on display from their go- to game- breaker against the Chiefs.
“Coming back to rugby has worked out for some teams – they found their gears – but we have gone the other way,” said Naiyaravoro.
“The energy has been there but it is the skill execution and decisionmaking that has let us down.
“It has been tough with the way things have been panning out on the field for me to do my job and get the team going forward, but it’s in my DNA to try to do that as much as I can. I’ll take ownership of that against
Exeter.”