Hurricanes prop Tialata in a new role tonight

When Neemia Tialata looks at the Hurricanes selection sheet this season he smiles. So far, so good.

As the Hurricanes head into their 10th game of the last Super 12 series, the massive prop can point to a start in every game. Tonight he is filling in at loosehead prop for the injured Joe McDonnell while all his other games have been at tighthead.

Those repeat selections have reassured Tialata, while progress made by the Hurricanes has also meant plenty of warm fuzzies.

The deal is not done however and a win tonight at Eden Park will continue the momentum and break a decade-long drought against the Blues.

Tialata almost felt sorry for the Blues having to return from South Africa after a loss and with more injured men. But after a brief detour note of sympathy for his rivals and their long-haul travel, Tialata settles back into his self-assessment.

Already, at just 22, Tialata has shown considerable ability to handle both roles. Not many can do it. Dave Hewett, Deacon Manu and Greg Somerville belong to that diminishing group able to cope with the murky arts on both sides of the scrum.

Tialata is getting there but after a start at loosehead he promised himself he wanted to anchor the Hurricanes scrum, a pledge which required him to move to tighthead.

"It was my goal, that's for sure and at our Christmas camp I also vowed to be much more consistent."

During the NPC last season, Wellington coach John Plumtree urged Tialata to shift his 124kg bulk to concentrate on the tighthead side.

Since then Tialata has worked hard with former Wellington coach Alan Muir, Hurricanes resource coach and former All Black prop Bryce McEldowney and national scrum doctor Mike Cron.

"Mike has been amazing, he has helped me a huge amount," says Tialata. "He has worked on my technique, fixing up my angles of attack, my binding - all the basics you can forget at this level."

Tialata was born in Lower Hutt, played a bit of league, spent three years at the same Parkway College which educated Tana Umaga and Piri Weepu, before switching to Wellington College for his final two years at secondary school.

His size meant few alternatives apart from the front row.

"Fullback was my only other choice," he quips. "Nah, nah, I love playing prop, that's my job for the next 10 years."

Emulating Olo Brown was the target, "he was the man", while Carl Hayman and McDonnell had been of substantial help in his brief career. "But I also want to be different, I want to be myself, I want something extra to come along with my game. So far I have to take the attitude that there is nothing I can't handle, I can't take a backward step."

If Tialata gets his actions to match his attitude, his team-mates will be just as buoyed because Wellington and the Hurricanes still have some setpiece uncertainty.

They were ruffled by the Highlanders and tonight they will tangle with a Blues front row which has been impressive.

"My job is first and foremost to do the setpieces and then our backs can do the business. We have to make sure of a good start and finish," Tialata says.