How All Blacks star overcame ‘mental issues’ and his verdict on positional preference
All Blacks forward Tupou Vaa'i.
Tupou Vaa’i says that ‘mental issues’ have stalled him from reaching his full potential and has revealed how he has overcome that.
The All Blacks forward enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 under Scott Robertson and continued that form last year before injury ruled him out of the November internationals.
The 26-year-old is set to return to action this weekend for the Chiefs in their pre-season fixture against the Fijian Drua and will be eager to impress the incoming New Zealand head coach, whoever that might be.
Vaa’i boasts 45 Test caps heading into the 2026 season, and while many of those appearances for the All Blacks have come in the second-row, he has featured on the side of the scrum too.
Overcoming imposter syndrome
Ahead of his return from injury, he spoke on the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin, where he detailed his rise to becoming a regular feature in matchday 23s under Robertson, having overcome his mental struggles.
Following the retirements of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Vaa’i has regularly featured in the second-row alongside captain Scott Barrett and pointed to the All Blacks’ 2024 fixtures against the Springboks in South Africa as where his Test career really took off.
“I feel that when Brodie and Sam left, there were definitely some big shoes to fill there, and I was told that this is definitely my opportunity to grab,” he said.
“I definitely had to prove my worth on the team, and I had some mental issues that were stopping me from hitting my potential. I worked hard on those things off the field.
“Then I just sprang up on the field, and it became second nature to me.”
Asked to provide further details as to what he was struggling with, Vaa’i explained that he lacked confidence, but more time in the saddle and the birth of his son helped him overcome that.
“It was just like a lack of confidence and experience,” he explained.
“I felt like the more minutes I got, the more confidence I started to build as each game started coming.
“Those two South Africa games over there were definitely my chance to really go out there and show my worth, and I felt like I did that.
“Then it just continued on from there. To be honest, I feel like my son helped me along with that process as well. I used to overthink and stress about a lot of the small stuff, but as soon as he was born, it changed my perspective on life. Those small things didn’t really worry me as much as they did before.”
Scott Barrett praise and his positional preference
He added that there was a hint of imposter syndrome, which captain Barrett also helped overcome.
“Working alongside Scott Barrett really built my confidence, and I was just leaning off his energy and his experience,” he added.
“Jason Ryan and the mental skills coach really helped me with off-field stuff and it became second nature on the field.”
The All Blacks skipper gets a lot of flak, but Vaa’i defended his locking partner.
“He is our skipper for a reason, and all I do is feed off his leadership and continue to help him with stuff around the lineout and that sort of thing. He’s a top, top bloke and he’s our captain for a reason,” he said.
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While the Chiefs forward is happy to take minutes in the All Blacks jersey, however they come, he wants to focus on playing lock and become world-class in that position.
“Honestly, I’d rather just be on the field and be able to play,” he said when asked about his reference.
“In my head, I would rather be a world-class lock and continue to work focu solely on that one position. But I guess the game’s evolving every single year, and the World Cup is just around the corner. So in terms of selection, it’s pretty handy being a lock and a six.
“I feel like I’m going pretty well at lock.”
On the similarities and differences of the position, he added: “The running lines are a bit different in terms of the phase attack, and you’re definitely running a lot more [as a flank], out on edge a lot more, and I really like being in the thick of things and putting my head down and working hard.”
