By Liam Cook

GPS centre Tautalatasi Tasi says his side is expecting a hard-fought encounter against archrival Brothers at Yoku Road on Saturday.

“Brothers are coming off a win and we’ve come off a big win so I think it’s going to be a tough game that will depend on who turns up on the day and plays good footy,” Tasi told Rugby News.

The round ten clash will be the second time GPS and Brothers have met in season 2022.

After a brutal round one outing that saw the Gallopers secure a narrow victory, Tasi and his teammates know what’s in store on Saturday.

“Both teams were pretty rusty in round one obviously the first game in always going to be tough.”

“Now that it’s the second half of the season I think it’s going to be a completely different type of game because we’ve got games under our belt.”

Despite sitting fifth on the table, GPS have the strongest win loss record in the current competition at seven and one.

One of the primary reasons for this has been the stellar form of new recruit Tautalatasi Tasi.

The inside centre is a self-described ‘journeyman’, having played all over the world in both union and league.

“I started playing league for six years and in 2018 decided to jump ship to union playing at Souths.”

“I went on with Brisbane city and then went to the Melbourne Rebels in the off-season.

“Got the chance to play with Gordon for two years and was able to get my Super Rugby debut for the Waratahs in 2019.”

Tasi went on to play for the Japan based Sunwolves in 2020 before returning to Gordon and claiming two shields.

The powerfully built centre’s rugby odyssey has given him immeasurable experiences in the game he only began meaningfully five years ago.

“It’s been crazy this past four-five years especially at Gordon in Sydney where I was able to be coached by Darren Coleman who was able to bring out another element in my game and build it from there,” he said.

“I’ve been involved with amazing players there like Rod Iona and Harrison Goddard who I’ve learnt from and developed my game.

“One of my current coaches Elia Tuqiri was a massive influence at Souths where I was playing with guys like Quade Cooper and Karmichael Hunt.

“We had a lot of players in that team that I was able to learn from and fast track my understanding of rugby union.”

Before arriving at GPS this year, the Tasi revisited his premier rugby days to complete a season with Bond University.

The No.12 says that GPS coaching and playing environment has allowed him to flourish on the field.

“The boys have been awesome, not only the team but the whole club. They’ve been welcoming with open arms and it was a really easy transition joining GPS.”

“I’ve been hopefully able to provide my experience in the game and picking up where I left off last year in bringing a different type of game into the team.

“It’s just one game after another this year for some reason I’ve just been playing well and stringing together games.

“The team, the coaching staff and people involved at the club is probably the reason why I’ve performed really well since round one.”

Tasi has displayed his powerful running, bruising defence, and ability to find the try line in the majority of games for the Gallopers this season.

Despite his talent, challenges still arose in the switch from rugby league to rugby union according to Tasi.

“The skill-based side of things. Passing and kicking when needed, even though I’m not much of a kicker. Mainly the skill-based side of it and short and long passing.”

“Being smart about picking your moments to make the big plays or playing it safe and getting small yards and small wins.

“My running game and aggression in defence from league has probably helped a lot.”

Skipper Michael Richard’s has left an indelible impact on Tasi since his arrival at Yoku Road.

“There’s one player that’s been really inspiring and that’s obviously the captain, Michael Richards.”

“The Richards family are a massive part of that club and ‘richo’ has been second to none with his leadership. It’s been awesome playing alongside him and I think it’s made my job easier.”

While Tasi’s form and that of his team has consistently been of a high quality, the Galloper’s aren’t resting on their laurels.

The back half of the season still presents a major opportunity for a GPS side that fell at the final hurdle in last year’s grand final.

“Our focus in the first half was our skills and making sure our gameplan worked and what we looked like getting around the park,” Tasi said.

“I think we will look to mould our game and bring it together in the second half of the season.”