Shute Shield: Warringah Rats to unleash “The Exterminator” in season opener

“THE Exterminator” is ready to clean up the opposition when he makes his Shute Shield debut for the Warringah Rats.

new Warringah rugby player and Samoan World Cup star “The Exterminato” Sailosi Tagicakibau at work on Friday. Picture: Martin Lange.

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“THE Exterminator” is ready to clean up the opposition when he makes his Shute Shield debut for the Warringah Rats in this afternoon’s first round blockbuster against defending premiers Norths at Pittwater Rugby Park.

Star Samoan international back Sailosi Tagicakibau is a player with the rare distinction of having played in three World Cups as well as being a fulltime professional player for 14 years.

His impressive resume includes stints with London Irish, London Welsh, the Chiefs, Stormers and Barbarians.

Tagicakibau moved back to the southern hemisphere to closer to his mother after she fell ill and when new Rats coach Darren Coleman got wind of that enticed him to the Rats.

Sailosi Tagicakibau in action for the Stormers. Picture: Darren England.

“I still have a big hunger for the game and it’s been a big part of my life so I wanted to play a bit of rugby,” he said.

After being in the professional rugby environment for so long, the Manly Daily caught up with Tagicakibau yesterday working in his new job as a landscape gardener with the local Fork and Spade outfit tackling a lush garden at Bilgola.

“It’s a different lifestyle to what I have been used to over the past decade but I am really enjoying it, my job here is quite therapeutic,” The Exterminator” said.

Tagicakibau said while he played rugby for the enjoyment of it but, there were some tough times associated with being a pro footballer.

Sailosi Tagicakibau slips past Englamd’s Johnny Wilkinson playing for Samoa in the 2003 World Cup.

“Because of the money side it starts to get a bit pretentious,” the 34-year-old said.

“I am back here playing rugby at a more amateur level where I began and where I enjoy it the most.”

After all he has achieved in the game Tagicakibau is still excited about his first premiership outing at No. 12 for the Rats today.

“I’ve been training hard,” he said.

And his work as a landscaper has also helped him shed 8kg and sees him now tip the scales at 107kg.

Coleman He said Tagicakibau will add more than just a big chunk of experience to the Rats backline.

“He brings a level of physicality and he’s got a good offload game,” Coleman said.

The Rats team: 1 R O’Connor, 2 L Holmes, 3 S Needs, 4 C Treloar, 5 F Hillicks, 6 T Asi, 7 M Jones, 8 T Preece, 9 J Holmes, 10 H Angus, 11 H Jones, 12 S Tagicakibau, 13 S Wileman, 14 T Davis, 15 D Feltscheer. Reserves: S Ward, T Connor, J Tomkins.