New All Blacks midfield pair keep the faith

Sam Tuitupou and Isaia Toeava during All Blacks training at the Centro Naval ground in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ross Land / Getty Images

BUENOS AIRES - They pray together yet have rarely played together.

Still, the new All Blacks midfield rugby pairing of Sam Tuitupou and Isaia Toeava have unerring faith in their ability to produce an effective partnership in Saturday's (11.30am Sun NZT) rugby test against Argentina, here at Velez Sarsfield.

The Aucklanders have never played alongside each other in jersies 12 and 13 at club or elite level.

The scope of their close-quarters teamwork is limited to games of rip tag touch rugby for the Breakthrough Church team in the central city.

"Just rip tag, that's about it," Tuitupou grinned today when asked if the pair had ever shared any quality time in the middle of a rugby field.

"We have played together quite a bit for the church though, so I know Ice (Toeava) has a lot of talent and speed."

Eyebrows were raised when the All Blacks selectorial merry go round threw the Samoan duo together.

Tuitupou, 24, confessed he was also surprised his test career had been resurrected after an almost two-year hiatus.

The diminutive, yet hard-hitting, second five-eighth feared his six-test career was spiked after the 26-40 Tri Nations loss in Johannesburg in 2004.

Understandably perhaps, he then feared his fortunes were heading even further south when the Blues dispatched him to the Super 14 draft last year.

He was shunted down State Highway One to Hamilton.

Being jettisoned by the Blues cut deep on a professional -- and personal level.

"My old man (Taniela), he's a really proud dude and he was kind of disappointed with me moving down to the Chiefs," Tuitupou revealed.

"You know how Islanders are ... I felt I'd let (the family) down and they feel ashamed.

"All I wanted to do was prove to my old man I could make the All Blacks again ... this means a lot to me."

Ironically, the Waikato was ultimately the ideal location to reprise his stunted career.

"When I got sent to the Chiefs I never thought I'd be back in the (All Blacks) team," Tuitupou admitted today.

"I guess moving down the Chiefs I was just trying to get my form back and going there has enabled me to really enjoy the game again.

"I've had a lot of help from (coach) Ian Foster and it's paid off."

Tuitupou pinpointed his major development under Foster as being more talkative and demanding on the field.

"That's the major change. I was a quiet guy, I just did my job and that was it -- now I'm more vocal.

"Just having guys like Ice around is good. He's quite a shy guy and I guess for me it's about helping him out to play his best game."

Toeava, who was stunned to bolt onto the All Blacks Grand Slam tour last November, is still coming to terms with his second stint in the All Blacks.

Picked as the bolter on the triumphant tour of Great Britain and Ireland, the 20-year-old made a solid if unspectacular debut against Scotland in his favoured fullback position.

To say Toeava remained overawed is an understatement though head coach Graham Henry insisted he had grown during his first Super rugby campaign as a draft player for the Hurricanes.

"He's much more relaxed," Henry said.

"He knows the boys, there are a lot of Hurricanes here and that's been very helpful.

"That's a real positive and that's what Super 14 has done for him as well as putting him under pressure.

"He's back there (at fullback) by himself a lot and he's come through well.

"He's a matured footballer compared with the young fella we took away last year."

A disarming "aw shucks" shyness remained close to the surface though as Toeava shuffled around centre stage at the team media session.

"At the start (of the Super 14) I didn't have a lot of confidence, I didn't know who I was playing against -- now I know the guys," said Toeava, who has not played centre since school days.

However, a greater familiarity with the likes of Rico Gear, Leon Macdonald and Dan Carter did not translate to a willingness to bark out orders at the weekend.

"They're bigger than me," he joked, "they'll probably beat me up."

- NZPA