NEALE HARVEY talks to Joe Taufete’e, the American Football ace now tearing up the Aviva Premiership

Early days: Taufete’e in LA gear

Monster hooker Joe Taufete’e has been a massive hit at Sixways but it was not so long ago that the huge American with Samoan heritage was close to breaking point. Only the support of his wife, Noeleen, and love for a new-found game called rugby, combined to drag him out of the gutter after injury wrecked his dream of an NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers.
Taufete’e, 24, who tips the scales at 20st 5lbs (130kgs), was on the road ...