Tuiali'i wary of his return to North

Mose Tuiali'i still has a soft spot for Northland. It was, after all, where his provincial career started three years ago and set him on his way to become an All Blacks loose forward. But remembering where it all began is one thing, having sympathy for his old colleagues is another altogether.
Tuiali'i was not quite ready to apologise for being part of a Canterbury team that beat Northland 32-10 in an Air New Zealand NPC rugby match at the ITM Stadium on Saturday, but he was prepared to acknowledge the part the struggling first division union played in his rise to All Blacks test player.
"I will always remember what Northland did for me as a player," he said. "They gave me the chance and the work Donny Stevenson and Mark Seymour did on parts of my game helped me a lot later on."
Not that Tuiali'i showed much compassion for his old team mates though.
At No.8, Tuiali'i was one part of a prominent Canterbury loose forward trio that helped give the visitors the edge in a bruising encounter played in miserable conditions.
But he was wary of what awaited him when he made his return to Northland headquarters in Whangarei for the first time since he opted out of Northland, Auckland and the Blues Super 12 franchise and signed up with the Crusaders.
Tuiali'i is now an established part of the Canterbury rugby machine having tasted Super 12 and Air New Zealand NPC success with the red and blacks since he last played for Northland as a loan player in 2003.
But even though he was part of the winning side on Saturday, Tuiali'i was moved to acknowledge how well Northland had played, notably in the forwards and especially after a sudden change in coaching staff and a run of losses that stretches back to when he last played for the side.
He said he admires Northland's team unity, especially in light of the 23-game long losing streak.
"I was pretty wary of what the boys would turn up with. We won but they really got stuck into us today. It was pretty hard work out there actually. The forwards were just keen to bash us around," he said.
"I've kept a close eye on the Northland boys since I was here and I told our guys to be careful because I knew what they'd be like. I think if they keep playing like they did today they will be okay."
Canterbury won scoring four tries to one, but only after taking a narrow 7-3 halftime lead and scoring counter attacking tries from two Northland errors in the second spell.