Willie Ripia has made the most of an opportunity with the Hurricanes this year and is now likely to line up opposite the player who kept him out of the Chiefs in Saturday's Super 14 top-of-the-table clash in Hamilton.
The pivot was schooled at Rotorua Boys' High before moving to the Waikato on leaving school, made the shift to Taranaki in search of greater game time 18 months ago and has not looked back.
With Stephen Donald dominating the No10 jersey for Waikato and the Chiefs there was little place for Ripia so the 23 year old had to move somewhere.
"Things have changed in the last couple of the years for me," Ripia says.
Last year he ended the season as the Hurricanes first choice pivot and goal-kicker and played in the Super 14 rugby final against the Crusaders but this year he had to start all over again and prove himself again.
When Piri Weepu picked up a hamstring injury Ripia seized the chance with both hands and Weepu has had to come off the bench since that time.
Ripia knows how much he will be tested by the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium but he is looking forward to catching up with his former Waikato team-mates and in particular former schoolmate Liam Messam.
"If I get the opportunity to play again I'm really looking forward to it," Ripia told the Waikato Times.
"It's always a big test for any player who comes from that province to go back there and play against them."
He says that he enjoyed his first return to Hamilton last year in the Air New Zealand Cup for Taranaki against Waikato "even though we lost" and can't wait to play on an even bigger stage for the top-placed Hurricanes against the second-placed Chiefs.
"It was a big move for me moving from Waikato, from my family and where I was comfortable."
"But I think it was one of my better decisions because I'm getting some starts and getting lots of game time for the Hurricanes."
Ripia says that he puts his rapid elevation in the Hurricanes starting team down to the number of All Blacks around him. "I don't have to do anything."
But he admitted he had worked hard to fight for another opportunity with the Hurricanes coaches.
"I had to take it or else I would be doing what I was doing at the start of the year sitting on the bench.
"It's definitely a big confidence boost but at the same time I can't really rest on what I've done before and I'm still working on every aspect of my game, which is probably something that has been huge for me in this latter part of the season."
With a player like Weepu hot on his heels Ripia knows he has to keep performing.
"When you've got a player of that class sitting on the bench you know you have to perform because if you don't it's pretty easy for him to just slot back in.
"The competition within the team's quite high and the level of talent is real high so every week it's a brain tester."
While the Hurricanes' surge to the top of the table had been an enjoyable ride there was no time to rest on their laurels.
"We've got quite a few things we want to work on and if you'd looked at quite a few of our expressions (last Friday night) you would have seen that we were disappointed with the way we ended the game (against the Blues).
"We played well for 20 minutes and then went to pieces, so while we were happy with the win we weren't happy with the performance and want to push further, push harder and demand more from each other."
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