Pressure no problem, Piutau tells Total Rugby

 

At just 22 years of age All Black Charles Piutau has picked up two world champions winner’s medals already, in Fifteens and Sevens, and the Blues star will be hoping to make it a hat-trick when New Zealand launch their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in England next year.

One of 18 All Blacks to graduate from the IRB Junior World Championships, Piutau has the distinction of playing for two different countries at the tournament, firstly for Tonga in 2010 and then a year later with New Zealand, the land of his birth. 

The six tries he scored in Italy in 2011 not only saw him finish top of the tournament’s try-scoring charts but also helped New Zealand to lift the trophy for a fourth straight year.

“I think that was one of the best highlights of my career: being able to stand there and say you’re a world champion and holding up the trophy with your teammates,” said Piutau. “I think I was quite lucky to score so many tries as well, I was just at the end of the chain.”

Twelve months earlier though it was a different story as Tonga suffered heavy defeats at the hands of South Africa, Australia and Scotland. Only a play-off win against Samoa prevented them claiming the wooden spoon.

Piutau admits the experiences could not have been more different, with the high expectations that come with playing for New Zealand bringing their own unique pressures.

“The New Zealand team the year before pretty much put 50 plus points on every team,” explained Piutau. “We came in and in some of the games we didn’t perform too well. We were winning but there were still doubts and pressure put on us. That kind of adds to the game and you enjoy it.”

Piutau scored as New Zealand beat England 33-22 in the JWC 2011 final, and his performances at the tournament caught the eye of coach Gordon Tietjens who called him up to the all-conquering New Zealand Sevens squad.

All the full back’s hard work in making the transition to Sevens paid off as New Zealand struck gold on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit to give him his second winner’s medal.

‘Titch’ approached one of my club coaches – the current Auckland coach – and asked if it wanted to go to a camp,” said Piutau. “The training is so intense and you go through a lot of pain. He really tries to break you mentally, pushes you physically and, yeah, it’s not easy but it’s all worth it at the end.

“Standing at a podium, receiving a medal and holding up a trophy – that’s why you play the game…you want to achieve, you want to succeed and feel like you’re on top of the world.”

This week’s Total Rugby TV show features: the Japan v Hong Kong RWC 2015 qualifier and the kick-off of the RWC trophy tour in Tokyo, Russia’s thrilling European RWC qualifier against Germany and a look back to their inaugural appearance on the Rugby World Cup stage in New Zealand in 2011, Rugby in Colombia and a spotlight on leading referee Alain Rolland  – all available to WATCH HERE

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Pressure no problem, Piutau tells Total Rugby