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MARSEILLE - All Blacks prop Neemia Tialata says being king-hit by Clint Newland last month very nearly ended his World Cup rugby dream.
The giant front-rower said he was reduced to two weeks off his feet - the first of them purely in bed - after suffering severe concussion when knocked cold by Newland's right hand in the Air New Zealand Cup match between Wellington and Hawke's Bay on August 4.
Newland received a 10-match suspension but Tialata's punishment could have been even greater as he struggled to shake off the symptoms.
His conditioning suffered as the concussion dragged into a second week.
Tialata, 25, feared losing his place in the New Zealand squad which arrived in France yesterday.
"That came to mind, especially in the second week, knowing I had to jump in a plane and come here in two weeks time," Tialata said.
Suddenly he needed to prove himself and did so by playing in a low-key trial game in Auckland on August 23 and then backed up two days later to be the only All Black in round five Air New Zealand Cup action - for Wellington against Tasman.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't play those games," he said, recalling the torturous period when he was deprived many of life's luxuries.
"The first week I was struggling to sleep, I couldn't do anything.
"I spent most of it in bed. I wasn't allowed to watch TV or listen to any music or read any books. Everything was sort of blurred."
Making matters worse during his down time was an inability to eat normally for four days, after the stitches inside his mouth became infected.
The only silver lining was that he lost about 4kg, bringing him down to a more acceptable 127kg, still the heaviest player in the squad.
"My nutritionist and trainer were quite happy," he said.
Tialata hasn't heard from Newland since the incident but was unconcerned.
"I'm one of those guys who gets over it and moves forward. I've got other big things to worry about.
"I'm quite lucky it happened to me and not any of the other boys, I guess. If it was anyone else it probably would have broken their jaw or something," he smiled.
Tialata will probably spend most of this World Cup in a battle with Greg Somerville for the reserve berth behind Carl Hayman and Tony Woodcock, who should prop up the scrum in the playoff matches.
Somerville had injuries of his own to contend with before confirming his place in the squad - overcoming a long-standing Achilles problem and a more recent poke in the eye.
The All Blacks scrum should be a key weapon throughout the tournament, with Tialata hopeful their advantage wouldn't be reduced by inconsistent refereeing.
New laws introduced this year haven't had the desired effect at scrum time, with collapses, delays and confused players a common theme.
"It has been a shambles," Tialata said.
"They (referees) have said they'll try to be a bit more consistent.
"It is hard playing one week with one referee and then the next week with someone who does it differently at scrum time.
"If they can do their job, then I guess we have to do our job and the game will flow a bit better."
The All Blacks trained for the first time here today under bright sunshine, an enthusiastic run after several weeks away from rugby for most of them.
Lock Keith Robinson, who has been ruled out of their opening test against Italy on Saturday with a calf injury, largely watched on although he took a small part in some drills while wearing sneakers.
- NZPA
