All Blacks centre Quinn Tupaea is set to make his long-awaited Super Rugby return with the Chiefs and believes his lengthy stint on the sidelines can give him a different perspective on the game.
The 24-year-old was sidelined for the entire 2023 season due to a serious anterior cruciate ligament sustained after an illegal clearout from Wallabies lock Darcy Swain in a Bledisloe Cup Test in Melbourne in 2022.
‘s injury meant he took no part in the ‘ run to the final – which they lost to the Crusaders – and also ruled him out of the‘ Rugby World Cup campaign in France where they finished as runners-up to arch-rivals Springboks.
With all of New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams in the midst of their pre-season preparations, Tupaea is just happy to be in the mix again and has a different outlook on rugby.
“[I’m] definitely more resilient now,” he told . “Around my body, my rehab.
“It’s definitely helped me. [I’ve] made friendships along the way, and it’s good to have a different perspective from the outside looking in.”
Tupaea spent the entire 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season in rehab following that cheap shot from , who received a six-week suspension for his indiscretion.
“He messaged me a day after the injury,” said Tupaea. “But at the time, I was in a pretty angry spot, so I didn’t reply.
“It was very tough to watch last year, especially how well [the Chiefs] were going.
“Hopefully I can add a little bit on the field this year, and we can go one step better.”
Both Tupaea and the Chiefs are highly motivated to redeem themselves in 2024, after they came up short in last year’s final.
“It’s definitely something we can use for fire,” he said of 2023. “But I guess we’ve put it behind us, and we’re focussed for the new year.”
