By MARK CASHMAN

Eastern Suburbs coach Pauli Taumoepeau would like nothing better than to be heading into Round Five of the Shute Shield competition in early May with four wins and other teams talking about the potency of the Beasties’ defence.

“We’ve been pretty slow out of the blocks for the past couple of years and it impacts on the way that you approach the season as it unfolds,” Taumoepeau told Rugby News this week.

“Last year we were one from four at that stage of the season and the competition table becomes a constant in the way that you look at things.

“I can remember last year at one stage of the season we had just won our fifth game in a row – I don’t think an Easts 1st Grade team has done that in some time – and going outside the dressing sheds to talk to a few people and they said why aren’t you happy.

“I said that of course I was happy, but the person who I was talking to came back to me and said: ‘Well your face is telling me a different story’.

“That competition table pressure was a constant throughout last year as well as the year before and although we achieved quite a few of our goals a few wins early would be great.

“We haven’t won anything yet and the focus in this pre-season has been to tweak a few things, you know – adapt and adjust.

“But we cannot afford to start slowly for a third year in a row.”

“Then there’s the matter of being better in defence and I would like us to be a team that is respected for the way that we work when we don’t have the ball.”

The Beasties roster has taken a pretty sizeable whack with a long list of last year’s regulars grabbing chances further up the rugby eco-system or retired.

Last year’s skipper Jack Grant has left a huge hole, taking his chances well at the Waratahs at the base of the scrum and then being thrust into the spotlight with the ankle injury to Tahs skipper Jake Gordon.

“Yeah Jack has been a pillar on which we have built this side for the past couple of year and he will be very hard to replace,” Taumoepeau added.

“But we’re confident in the guys coming through in that position but it is a jumper that is genuinely up for grabs in light of the shoulder injury to Jack’s backup Harry Nucifora.

“Jack remains very much connected to everyone at Woollahra – I walked in to work this morning to see him doing some work with a young scrum half from the colts working on his pass and kicking skills.”

There are numerous others from the side that lost to Gordon in last year’s semi-final at Rat Park whose availability is yet to be decided but the likes of Lindsay Stephens, Archer Holz, Ryan McCauley, Jeremy Williams, Charlie Gamble and Dean Oakman-Hunt training with franchises further up the tree.

Sam Shires has retired and the availability of Rob Leota, a great late season pickup thanks to a link to hooker Moli Sooaemalelelagi and lockdown in Victoria, is yet to be determined.

The pressure is on at Easts to get their hands on some silverware but Taumoepeau is taking a very philosophical line on.

“Look at the end of the day we want to win,” Taumoepeau added.

“That sort of pressure is always there – the club and the board here at Easts expect success – but the pressure that I put on myself is over and above all that.

“Delivering a premiership is first and foremost but there’s also the attitude that we want Easts to be an important stepping stone in players’ rugby careers and lives.”

An important step but not the pinnacle – wise words!

IMAGE: AJF PHOTOGRAPHY