It has been hard to stop new Chiefs tighthead prop Mike Kainga from smiling this week.
The Bay of Plenty Steamers player made his Super Rugby debut from the bench last week against the Queensland Reds in Hamilton and his solid 20 minutes of action has been rewarded with selectionon the bench for tonight's big clash against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Kainga says making his debut was a surreal experience and he loved every minute of it.
"This time last year I was playing club rugby for the Mount so it has been just a huge step up for me and it was great to be out there playing with the likes of Aaron Cruden and Liam Messam and guys like that," Kainga said.
The powerfully built front-rower says he enjoyed the scrums he packed down in against Wallaby prop Ben Daley.
"I definitely held my own against him and it was good to get a taste of Super Rugby scrummaging and I want to get in there and do more, you know.
"I am just hungry for more game time but will have to give it my best shot when I get a chance because there are a few props coming back from injury soon."
Kainga has noticed a major improvement in all aspects of his game as he revels in training in the professional rugby environment at the Chiefs.
"Especially with [assistant coach] Smithy there, my game understanding has gone up immensely. My running game and defence have improved and just being more involved in the game. Working with [forwards coach] Tom Coventry, I believe my positional awareness of what a front-rower does and cleaning out rucks and things like that, is much, much better."
Kainga made his Steamers debut at the end of last season's ITM Cup and says leaving Wellington was the best thing he could have done for his rugby.
"The main reason I moved was I wanted to get out of home and start experiencing life outside of Wellington ...
"I felt I was getting a bit comfortable there, so moving to the Bay with my partner has really helped me grow as a person and a player."
