A baby in propping terms, he is a giant of a young man, standing 1.94m and weighing in at 125kg. Ta'avao has all the credentials of age-grade selections as captain of the national under 20 side.
The Blues have made a clutch of changes but coach John Kirwan is certain there will not be any mirror image in Super 15 performance tomorrow.
The blues latest plucky 18-17 win against the Stormers has now given them a quintet of triumphs in this tournament.
The Blues have been careful not to brand 2013 a development season, even though it has been.
Younger All Black prospects will get their chance at several training camps this month. But when that group is cropped for the June test series against France, all the established All Blacks will be picked to restate their international credentials.
The Blues held on for a gritty 18-17 win over the Stormers at North Harbour Stadium tonight.
Join us here for our live blog of the Super 15 clash between the Blues and the Stormers from North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.
The tangible return for the Blues in Brisbane was one competition point. The intangible may be the belief they need to dig in at the top end of the table and be a surprise play-off package.
Finding solace in defeat has never been so easy for the Blues. They lost in Brisbane last night, yet, strangely, did more than enough to establish themselves as a genuine title contender.
After virtually owning the Super 15 match at Suncorp Stadium, the Blues lost to the Reds 11 - 12 last night.
Watch a replay of our live coverage from tonight's Super 15 rugby clash between the Blues and the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Blues hooker James Parsons knows all about waiting patiently, which is part of the reason why he makes no apologies for keeping crowd favourite and All Black Keven Mealamu on the reserves bench.
The Blues return to Suncorp Stadium tonight, the place where the Pat Lam era started to turn sour, writes Gregor Paul.
Blues midfielder Francis Saili has made a brief appearance in court to face one charge of driving while suspended.
A syndicate keen on bankrolling and running the Blues hopes the deal will be completed soon.
The Blues are being primed to overturn an unpalatable Super Rugby pattern which has affected New Zealand teams.
In the last few rounds of Super 15, Blues fullback Charles Piutau has been subdued, compared to his normal high-action involvement.
Slap a black jersey on Rene Ranger with the No 12 on the back, declares Wynne Gray.
All sorts of pictures have been painted about the return clash between the Blues and Hurricanes but ultimately the five-eighths landscape should dictate this result.
Controversial referee Steve Walsh has been ticked off after he broke the new television match official protocol several times in last weekend's game at Eden Park between the Blues and Highlanders.
Not many wings upstage Julian Savea as Frank Halai managed on his Blues debut.
Injury and suspension have caused the only changes to the Blues for their Super 15 rematch with the Hurricanes.
Rugby should get used to referees' increased use of the television match official, according to Blues coach Sir John Kirwan.
Senior prop Charlie Faumuina has been ruled out for the season as the Blues contemplate a troubled buildup to their next clash with the Hurricanes.