Tagicakibau looking to wing Irish to play-offs
James Walker-Roberts • Published 9 Feb 2012 15:30
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SAMOAN international Sailosi Tagicakibau is aiming to make up for lost time by helping London Irish secure a top-four finish in the Aviva Premiership.
A string of injuries meant 'Losi' spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch last year with just 40 Premiership minutes under his belt so far this season.
And even that half of rugby came at a cost, when the winger was forced off at the interval with a knee injury in the 24-24 draw at Leicester Tigers in November.
The road to recovery from that setback lasted nearly four months, finally ending when he made his long-awaited return against Gloucester in the LV= Cup at the weekend.
And although he readily admits he felt the affects of playing for over an hour, Losi is determined to continue working hard to ensure he can still make a mark on the season.
"The rehabilitation was a long process," he told the Chronicle. "From the beginning of the year we stepped it up and started doing more work which was hard but definitely worth it. You can't be too sure about an injury of this kind and you don't want to rush back too quickly.
"Now that's it February there's not that much time left in the season, we're coming into the business end now so I don't have the luxury of taking too long to get back into the swing of things. The aim for us is to finish in the top four and I want to help the side achieve that now I'm back."
Irish's top-four credentials - as well as Losi's match fitness - will be put to the test on Saturday (2pm) when Exiles make the short trip to The Stoop to take on Premiership leaders Harlequins.
Quins came out on top by a 29-24 scoreline when the teams met on the opening day at Twickenham and Irish are hungry for revenge.
"It's one of the biggest games of the season," explained Losi. "It's a London derby and there have been a lot of tensions between the two clubs in recent years, about who is the best, not to mention that they got one over us at Twickenham.
"They're a good side and it's a game I'm really looking forward to. I'm confident that I'll be fit for the match and the more minutes I get under my belt the sharper I'll be."
The Samoan's place in the starting line-up could be under threat from Marland Yarde though who will make his return to the Irish squad after scoring a hat-trick in England Under 20's 59-3 win over Scotland last weekend.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Exiles and is one of a number of youngsters regularly pushing for a spot in the first team.
Although Losi is glad for the competition from the up-and-coming stars at the club, he is determined to hold on to his spot now he is back in the team.
"I know that Marland is coming back this weekend but hopefully I'll get a chance to play again and show that I'm back to my best," he explained.
"The depth in the squad here is excellent, we have players coming through like Marland, Tom Homer and Jonathan Joseph, and they're here to stay. They're pushing the senior guys and giving us competition, making us work hard to keep up.
"When we played Quins earlier in the season a lot of boys were on international duty and the young guys stepped up to the plate and performed, as they have continued to do."
Quins will be without England quintet Joe Marler, Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown, Karl Dickson and Jordan Turner-Hall for the game, all of whom are in Italy on Six Nations duty.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 08 Feb 12
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