Evergreen Elvis has lots of hits left in him
TONGAN Test hooker Elvis Taione puts his remarkable longevity down to Pacific Island genes, sleep and a lifechanging decision to swap work on a building site for rugby.
With a new contract at Exeter Chiefs secured, Taione turns 37 this month but shows no sign of battle fatigue as he maintains the pressure on England No.2 Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Ten years ago, Taione was labouring in Sydney while playing for the Manly Marlins before a final go at breaking into the professional game preceded a move abroad.
The Premiership’s second oldest player behind London Irish’s Franco van der Merwe, is now in his sixth season at Chiefs. He told The Rugby Paper: “I did a bit of rugby at school in New Zealand but had some bad injuries and lost my passion for the game.
“I thought that was that, but after moving to Australia in my early 20s some mates persuaded me to join the Manly Marlins to play club rugby and have fun.
“I was just hanging out with friends, doing odd jobs here and there on building sites and the like and I never had any thoughts of playing professionally. But
I’m not one for doing things half-heartedly so I started training really hard and got a crack at the Waratahs.
“There was a lot of competition there with guys like Tatafu Polota-Nau so I went to Western Force and had a few games there, but nothing really much happened. Then I got a chance with Tonga in 2012 on their tour of Europe and that’s when things changed.”
Taione explained: “We came over and played Italy, USA and Scotland and after that I decided I wanted to travel and spend time in Europe. Originally, I was looking to go to France, but Jersey came in for me and I spent a season there, which was a great experience.
“After that, I was picked up by Exeter and felt at home straight away. Six years later I’m still here and, while I’ve been happy to bide my time, when guys like Cowan-Dickie and Jack Yeandle are not around I make sure I’m always ready to step in and do well.
“This season, with Dickie being away with
England and ‘Yenz’ injured, I’ve played a lot of games. We’re playing well and I’m happy with the contract, so things are going well.”
Taoine adds: “Age is just a number. I know my body and what works for me. I’m a long sleeper which helps recovery, plus those Pacific Island genes probably contribute to how long I can play for as well.
“If you look at other Tongan guys like Ma’ama Molitika, Aleki Lutui and Soane Tonga’uih, they’ve all enjoyed long careers and
I’m hoping for the same, although I’m not sure I’ll make it through to 45 like Ma’ama before he retired!”
One thing Taione is utterly convinced of is that Cowan-Dickie is close to usurping Jamie George as England’s No.1.
He added: “The sky’s the limit for Dickie. I think he’s just a game or two away from being England’s first choice. He’s got that presence as a leader so the coach just needs to believe in him – after that he’ll be certain for the Lions.”