Would the Real Mr Talakai Please Stand Up

A tiny section of the Tongan community converged on the SCG last weekend to watch the Super Rugby, but they weren’t backing any particular team on the night. They were there to watch and support their boys, the Talakai brothers, each playing for a different Super Rugby team with this game being their first Super Rugby encounter.

Leading up to this game the Rebels had won 5 from 8 games this season, while the Waratahs were a dismal 3 from 7. In 2019, the Rebels have established themselves as the new Australian conference kings and were expected to beat the Waratahs pushing them to second spot on the overall Super Rugby table.

The Waratahs have struggled at best this season and in damage control over the whole Folau “homosexuals” will go to hell SocMed affair. They were desperate to beat the Rebels on the weekend or face being last on the Australian conference out of the Australian teams.

The older of the two brothers is 115kg pure Tongan beef Sam Talakai. Sammy’s a seasoned Super Rugby player and racking up well over 50 games. He has played in the top league for the last 5 years and currently in his second year with the Melbourne Rebels after spending the last 3 years with the QLD Reds.

Sammy's kid brother, Chris Talakai, tips the scales at around 114kg! You may want to think twice before inviting these two boys over for a feed at your place! Chris made his Super Rugby debut in round 1 of this year after returning to rugby following a raft of injuries including surgery to his shoulders, elbows and hand. A more critical injury sustained to his back also saw him toe up in a hospital bed for 2 weeks unable to move.

Chris is relishing his luck this year having played in all Waratahs games this season including the game against the Rebels on the weekend. Despite starting his rugby career way back as a fullback he was shifted to the front row as a rake before moving sideways into the tighthead prop position due to stacking on the weight as a result of his injuries.

Older brother Sam has played in 8 of the Rebels 9 games this season and starting in the loosehead prop for most of the games. Playing against each other on the weekend both of them knew they were going to lock down against the other as opposing props.

Being their first Super Rugby game against each other the Talakai brothers’ pre-game ritual went out the window for the first time. We asked the boys to reflect on their lead up towards the big game and what was different about this one.

Their usual ritual involves brothers Sam and Chris contacting each other after each game for a bit of a debrief and pep talk. The week leading up to this game, however, didn’t include that customary chat as both boys were trying to avoid the jokes and buzz from their family.

On top of all the family hysteria when you’re about to play your brother at this level there’s a lot to consider. There’s no playbook for your first encounter against your brother at this level so it’s anyone’s guess what you should be doing. Do you call? Do you ring for a casual chat? Do you need to be cautious about what you say in case you spiel the beans on your team’s playbook? Phone, social media or radio silence is when you know the stuff is real.

‘From about Monday or Tuesday, we gave each other a bit of radio silence. No messages, no nothing. That was pretty weird but probably won’t happen again because my parents will probably give us a hiding when they find out. In the end, it probably just helped us focus on our jobs…

…Come game day to be honest, I was waiting for him [Sam] to come out in the warm up, but he must’ve been in the toilet or something because he didn’t come out for ages’, Chris continued.

Sam’s recollection was similar to Chris’s. ‘We didn’t really speak much til about Wednesday which is normally when you find out if you’re playing or not. He [Chris] gave me the heads up he was in the squad and I told him I was as well and then it was business from then on in really.’

‘I was pretty nervous really, in that, we haven’t seen each other since the end of the Super Rugby season in 2018’, recalled Chris. ‘Sam’s come off a great season at Suntory in Japan. He’s [Sam] been playing some good footy this year for the Rebels and my first time seeing him in ages will be when he runs at me’.

‘The build-up was pretty cool’, says Sam. ‘All my family from all over the world were sending in their well wishes and support up until the final hours til game time. In my head I was thinking to myself, I don’t want to lose this game even more now or else I’ll cop all the jokes from the family after it.’

Both boys started the game as replacements. Sam dropped into the game in the 55th with the Rebels leading 20 – 13. Younger brother Chris entered the action 12 minutes later in the 67th to replace Wallabies Centurion Tongan Sekope Kepu. The Waratahs had just taken the lead through a penalty goal 23 – 20.

The build-up had really started to ramp up as the Rebels realised the game was getting away from them. The Rebels were behind 3 points with only 10 to go and desperate to try and take back the lead. The entire Talakai family had been on the edge of their seats but it only lasted four short minutes between the time Chris entered the game and Sam was yellow carded. A short lived chaotic few minutes that ended as quick as it started.

As the history books will show, the match ended with the Waratahs winning 23 – 20 while Sam was watching from the side line. Frustratingly, Sam paid the ultimate price for repeated infringements by the Rebels and copping a yellow card in the 71st for a ruck infringement.

“I was pretty gutted watching from the sin bin because I couldn’t help my team mates and also because I didn’t get to play many minutes against Chris. It didn’t go how I planned but unfortunately that’s footy sometimes. The game was a blur for me, partly because when I was on, we defended most of the time, and also I was watching from the sin bin for the remainder of the time”, recalled Sam.

Normally it’s a good thing for a team to see the opposition cop a yellow card, but not for Chris, “We packed one scrum together I think before he [Sam] got sent off, so it was pretty short-lived time together on the field. I was pretty angry he got sent to the bin because in my head…our first time being on the field together at Super Rugby wasn’t meant to play out like that. Sam got confused I think and tried to rugby league ‘play the ball’ in the ruck. The SCG gets you like that.”

At the end of the day their family was just proud to see both boys playing in the Super Rugby together, even if it was against each other and one of them earning bragging rights for the time being. There’ll be many more games for this family to attend. But for now, this family has already won irrespective of which team wins on any given night.

Chris summed up his experience in a positive light, easier to do I guess when you win, “All in all, at the end of the day my family were happy which means we’re doing something right and that’s all that really matters to us.”

Sam obviously feels the same “at the end of the day we were lucky enough to play each other and having the support of so many family members was pretty special. Hopefully, we are both still in the squad for the re-match in a few weeks’ time and I can win back the bragging rights.”

The Waratahs vs Rebels rematch will be in six weeks in Melbourne on 31 May. We’ll be looking forward to seeing the Talakai brothers hammer away at each other, hopefully for more than 4 minutes! For now, Chris has won the bragging rights while more experienced Sam cops the family jokes.