Bordeaux-Begles prop Ben Tameifuna has revealed that he would \u201clove\u201d to experience the Gallagher PREM, and has named the two English clubs he once considered signing for.<\/p>\n
Now a Tongan international and revered as one of the most devastating props in world rugby, there was once a time that \u2018Big Ben\u2019 was considering an entirely different rugby route.<\/p>\n
After initially learning his trade in rugby league, Tameifuna made the switch to union, eventually signing with hometown club Hawke\u2019s Bay as a teenager.<\/p>\n
His impressive performances soon led to Super Rugby success with the Chiefs<\/a>, but not before the giant prop was called up to don the black of New Zealand. At 130kg at the time, Tameifuna was the heaviest member of the All Blacks training camp, and remembers the intensity which came with the badge.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as\u00a0a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a>\u00a0for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Munster team: Clayton McMillan swings axe with EIGHT changes as Ireland and Springbok stars return<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re an All Black now; you wear black boots<\/p>\n Speaking on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast, Tameifuna<\/a> revealed his \u201cmost vivid memory\u201d from his time in camp, saying: \u201cWhen you arrive, Adidas gives you all the free stuff. So I got a pair of black boots and a pair of white boots. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had our first scrum session, and I was coming down to do our forwards warm-up, and I just see Richie [McCaw] meeting me halfway. <\/p>\n \u201cHe pretty much stopped me from going down to the field like, \u2018you\u2019re an All Black now; you wear black boots\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018okay\u2019; went back up, changed my boots from my white ones to my black ones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, that\u2019s how it is. I guess that\u2019s the rules,\u201d he told himself at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a forward in the All Blacks, you gotta wear black boots. And I learned that pretty quick,\u201d he said with a reflective smile on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom then on, I was like, wow, they\u2019ve got rules, and they\u2019re the best for a reason, and if that\u2019s how it is, that\u2019s how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Big Ben never did make the Test squad, but his international dream wasn\u2019t over. Since his time as a young man in camp with the then-World Cup holders, the 34-year-old has made almost half a century of appearances for Tonga.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to try England as well at some point\u201d<\/p>\n At club level, he hasn\u2019t done too poorly either, winning the 2025 Investec Champions Cup final with Bordeaux and being a hugely important player in this year\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n But for all his success, he could well have ended up in England<\/a> if Bordeaux hadn\u2019t come knocking.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to try England as well at some point, but Bordeaux came to the table, and I made the jump.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were talking to Harlequins at one point, and we visited the training centre at Wasps at one point,\u201d he claimed, admitting that, in future, an arrival in England wouldn\u2019t be off the cards.<\/p>\n Investec Champions Cup<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 The greatest club rugby competition in the world. Proudly sponsored by\u00a0Investec<\/a>, leading International Bank and Wealth Manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n