Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou has admitted he doesn't know where his career would be had he not moved overseas, crediting the move for turning around his form.
Tupou has returned to Australia for the July Nations Championship Tests after signing with Racing 92 last year, set to face his club teammates at his old home on Saturday.
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The 30-year-old was a regular feature off the bench for the Parisian club as it rose to the Top 14 semi-finals, only to be toppled by champions Toulouse.
Tupou's move came after the tight-head prop bounced across Super Rugby clubs following his departure from the Queensland Reds.
Short stints with the Melbourne Rebels and NSW Waratahs followed, but an open Tupou has conceded he didn't live up to his own expectations
“They ask me why I left. My honest answer is I just wasn't performing," he told reporters.
“Since I left the Reds, I went to Melbourne thinking things were just going to work out for me, and the honest truth is I wasn't performing with the Rebels. I went from there to the ‘Tahs to try new things and again, it didn't work for me.
"There was an opportunity for me to stay back and go to a different team in Australia. I spoke to a few people and decided to go to France and thank god I left to go to France because I needed a change. I started to enjoy myself again and I'm just grateful for being back here with the Wallabies.
I have no idea what would have happened if I stayed back. I'm just glad I left because I wasn't performing and my head was not where it should have been.”
Tupou detailed the challenges that came with the move overseas into a new culture and a different way of scrummaging.
“Here in Super Rugby and this side of the world, they decide the gap while in France you have to find your own gap. Here, there's a system to what we do and I think over there it's a bit more freestyle; you have the licence to do whatever you want to do, and I struggled with that," he explained on the scrum differences.
“Over here I'm one of the big guys and over there I'm one of the small guys, just trying to adjust to that, a bit of a struggle at the start but I'm slowly starting to get used to it.”
He was also quick to tighten his diet after overindulging in France's rich food culture early on.
“When I arrived there, the food in France, with the baguette and croissants, I was into it for the first few months, and I realised that no one was going to help me and I’m trying to go there to actually play footy," he said and smiled.
“One day, I decided to make that change, and for the last few months I’ve been enjoying it. I’m trying to eat well and I’m glad I did because I’m in a good spot and I lost a few kilos."
Tupou doesn't know how long he'll be in Wallabies camp, especially given World Rugby's regulations on overseas players.
"I'm only here for these three Tests. Obviously, Les [Kiss] will take over. I'm not sure what the go there is, but like I said last year, I will always put my hands up to play for the Wallabies," he insists.
"I like this team, whether I'm playing or not playing, I like to see the Wallabies do well. If that means me being part of it, I'd love to put my hands up.”
But regardless of how long the stint is, Tupou will return to France with a great appreciation of his new home and an even greater one of his adopted home.
“I've been in Australia for the last 10 years, and I think it's the change I needed. I quite enjoyed it, to be honest, but it's good to be home. I didn't realise how much I missed Australia but I enjoyed my time in France and I'll be back in a few months time," he added.
