![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ben-tameifuna-playing-for-tonga-during-the-2023-rugby-world-GH4STMSUOBHVXPDXW7WACTGJKE.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBen Tameifuna is back home in New Zealand after helping Bordeaux win back-to-back European championships and is explaining his reluctance to cut short the partying that followed his most recent success.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t win them all and when you do get those wins, especially wins like that… it\u2019s written down in the history books now\u2026 there were a few of us that enjoyed it and pushed the boat out a bit that week,\u201d he tells 1News.<\/p>\n
The celebrations went on for four days. Tameifuna, who will turn 35 at the end of August, was pictured wearing a police stab-proof vest (with permission, of course. He did the same last year). He was also videoed taking the two Champions Cups for a ride on his bike \u2013 after first crashing into his car \u2013 and falling into a swimming pool with them. <\/p>\n
In the immediate aftermath of the victory over Irish club Leinster in the final played in 35degC heat in the Spanish city of Bilbao, he was interviewed by a television reporter on the side of the pitch after being doused in beer.<\/p>\n
Asked if he was going to take off his XXXL No.18 jersey any time soon, he responded: \u201cI\u2019m drenched in success.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was another way of saying \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n
Big Ben is reluctant to accept the term \u201ccult hero\u201d but if anything underlines why he has become so popular with teammates and supporters in the south of France it is his joie de vivre, much of which is catalogued on his entertaining Instagram account.<\/p>\n
He does want to clarify something about the jersey, however.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ben Tameifuna gets up to full speed for Tonga in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n
\u201cI got home on the first night and my partner said, \u2018you have to throw that in the washing machine\u2019. The next morning, I gave it a 20-minute wash and hung it out for 30 minutes and back on it went.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I did wash it\u2026 there were a few people in the comments wondering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Incredibly, Tameifuna was back playing seven days after that match and scored a try within three minutes of entering the field as a replacement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say cult hero,\u201d he responds when asked if he might qualify for the term. \u201cI just do my bit and the French people tend to gravitate towards you if they see you try\u2026 they love a big hit or a big carry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite his size (and sometimes because of it), he can be a devastating defender and possesses pace, agility and the type of soft hands more common in back-rowers. When combined with his openness and sense of humour, it\u2019s not difficult to see why he has become a crowd favourite wherever he has played.<\/p>\n
It is also increasingly clear that this is what peak performance looks like. Well, at the very least the big man is the poster boy not only for being the \u201cfinal boss\u201d to end all final bosses, but also the idea that rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes.<\/p>\n
Relatedly, Big Ben has also become infamous for being one of the heaviest professional rugby players in the world. At his peak after the 2019 World Cup, Tameifuna weighed 160kg. His playing weight now is 146kg or just above, which is probably another hefty reason for his popularity. <\/p>\n
Near constant partying is clearly not the ideal way to prepare for a rugby match or much else really, but it does raise the question about whether rugby takes itself a bit too seriously at times.<\/p>\n
Asked about that, Tameifuna replies: \u201cI\u2019m not one of the younger players.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m just enjoying life. There will be players who are planning on higher honours and wanting to build their reputations. It all depends on the player and how they take rugby. I\u2019m not getting any younger, but I still want to win things. I\u2019m trying to enjoy every moment I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ben-tameifuna-centre-performs-a-haka-with-the-chiefs-after-t-BKJKUO6JBNDQTF3NTNOOXBERLQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ben Tameifuna, centre, performs a haka with the Chiefs after they won the Super Rugby grand final against the Brumbies in 2013. (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
The former Chiefs prop, who helped the franchise win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 under head coach Dave Rennie, had shoulder surgery within two days of his most recent match but hopes to play for Tonga in November and next year at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Born in Auckland, Tameifuna represented New Zealand at Under-20s level but while he was included in All Blacks training squads in 2012, he did not play a Test for New Zealand.<\/p>\n
He is contracted to Bordeaux until the end of next season. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s the plan after that?<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel I still have the desire to win things and play on,” he says. “Obviously, it will depend on the president because he controls things. I\u2019d definitely like to play a couple more seasons. Where? I don\u2019t know. If it\u2019s Bordeaux I\u2019d be stoked because it\u2019s been my home for the last six seasons. From there we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n