What if Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams had picked rugby? Rise of Tahs recruit offers answer

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Over a Speight’s or three, New Zealanders have pondered how their highest-paid athlete – NBA star Steven Adams – would have fared if the 211-centimetre giant played the national religion instead of basketball, pocketing lineout wins instead of blocks and rebounds.

With Adams signing a $US25.2 million ($37 million) two-year deal extension at the Memphis Grizzlies last season, the debate will never be settled.

But for something approximating an answer, the best place to look may be an under-the-radar talent wearing the sky blue of NSW against Queensland in Townsville on Saturday. And the verdict? Pretty bloody good.

Taleni Seu, a highly impressive recruit in his first season with the Waratahs, was a talented athlete in Auckland who juggled representative rugby and basketball, and even used to play against Adams, who is the same age.

At 202 centimetres, Seu was a centre or power forward. Even in his early 20s, after he’d played for the Auckland under-20s rugby side, Seu was still considering a hoops career.

Seu pursued rugby, though, and after an injury-plagued few years with the Chiefs and some time in Japan, he came to Sydney this year for another shot at Super Rugby – and basketball’s loss has been the Waratahs’ gain.

Taleni Seu wins a lineout for the Waratahs.Credit: Getty

Bucking the decades-old trend of the Tahs signing ordinary middle-rowers from overseas, Seu has been outstanding for NSW, with an ability to bounce effectively between the loose forwards and the second row.

Seu is not only an industrious tight forward, he has NSW’s second-most carry metres and defenders beaten stats, the second-most lineout wins and has missed only seven tackles this year. The 29-year-old has also proven to be the best offloader in the NSW pack, and has quietly laid on several tries with great touch after contact.

“I am grateful for basketball because it gave me a lot of skills that I could take into rugby,” Seu said.

Taleni Seu playing basketball in Auckland.

“Just being comfortable with the ball in my hands. With basketball, you have high hand co-ordination, and with timing with the ball when you are jumping. Just little things like that helped me and I was able to transfer that into rugby.”

Seu, who has Niuean and Samoan heritage, grew up in the Auckland suburb of Mangere. He played basketball on a Friday night and first XV rugby on Saturdays. His size and skill meant he excelled in both, and he was drafted into the Auckland rugby academy, where he came through with All Blacks Akira and Rieko Ioane, and Patrick Tuipulotu.

He continued playing club and provincial basketball, too, and banged bodies with Adams at a national tournament in Wellington.

“He was too big and no one stood a chance against him,” Seu said.

In 2014, Seu won a national under-23 title for Counties Manukau in Mt Maunganui, but the tournament also served as a turning point. His former Auckland under-20s coach Dave Dillon happened to be at the same facility, after taking a job as Dave Rennie’s recruitment head at the Chiefs.

Taleni Seu playing for the Chiefs against the Waratahs in 2016.Credit: Getty

“I had been trying to get hold of him to find out what he was doing, and by chance he walked past,” Dillon told this masthead from Dunedin, where he is now with the Highlanders.

“I said, ‘Leni what are you up to mate?’ He was like, ‘I am playing basketball’ and I said, ‘What about footy?’. He said, ‘Oh nah, I am focusing on basketball’.

“I said, ‘Mate, you are too good a player to not be playing footy’. So then I got him down to the Chiefs. I said to Dave and the coaches, let’s give him an opportunity, he could be something special.”

Seu made his debut under Rennie in the back row in 2016 but, as a self-described “stick” who had never lived in the gym, three years of injuries followed. His 109-kilogram frame suffered leg, spine and shoulder injuries, and in an already strong Chiefs back-row stable, Seu played only 44 games in four seasons.

Taleni Seu gets an offload away against the Force.Credit: Getty

In 2019, Seu moved to Japan to play for Toyota Industry Shuttles and his class shone; helping the team win promotion to the first division for the first time, and winning a Test call-up for Samoa in 2022.

But before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Seu wanted to return to Super Rugby and, with family in Sydney, he contacted the Waratahs.

“I was asked to take a look at him and within 15 seconds of looking at clips, I was sold,” Waratahs forwards coach Pauli Taumoepeau said.

Waratahs coach Darren Coleman spoke with Rennie and the Tahs got a big thumbs up.

Seu charging against the Brumbies.Credit: Getty

“He is incredibly humble, and just a good person, a good man,” Dillon said.

The Tahs signed Seu as a second-rower but with a body bulked up to 117 kilograms by an off-season of weights, the dividends have been beyond expectations for the Tahs. In a year where injuries and resting have shuffled the pack most weeks, Seu moved into the starting side early and hasn’t left.

“The whole reason I came back was to get some quality football in, and be under some good coaches and be rubbing shoulders with Wallabies boys and potential Wallabies,” Seu said.

“I feel like I can back it up, week in and week out. I didn’t realise until I came back and started playing how better my body feels.”

Seu is in the lineout leaders group, adds good weight at scrum time and gets through his work. But his skill goes uncredited in more highlight clips than people realise; like his around-the-corner pass for Max Jorgensen’s try in Wellington, or the gather-and-offload to Lalakai Foketi for a try in NSW’s win over the Highlanders at the weekend.

“To see on the replay how low to the ground he was and to pop that up, that’s fingertips stuff, that’s pure basketball,” Taumoepeau said.

Dillon was in Sydney as Highlanders defence coach, and could only shake his head.

“He played bloody well for them on Saturday night, the bugger.”

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