Tangitau is going by ‘‘Slim’’ these days, as in Slim Shady, the alter ego of American rapper Eminem.
That is thanks to a new shade of hair colour he is sporting that makes him stand out even more on the wing.
‘‘I’ve had the same haircut for 22 years, so I thought, why not switch it up?’’ he said with a smile yesterday.
‘‘I’m trying to get the boys on board, but I think everyone’s a bit too scared. After day one, Jamie [Joseph] gave me a little bit of a roasting in the team meeting.’’
If Tangitau keeps scoring tries like the one he delivered in the win over the Crusaders last Friday, he will be cleared to change that hair to any colour he likes.
He showed all his pace and finishing instinct as he scorched past two defenders to score a classic winger’s try.
It immediately called to mind the phenomenal start to his Highlanders’ career last year, when he scored six tries in his first seven games and was acclaimed the next big thing on the wing.
‘‘I think it was just the confidence the coaches gave me,’’ Tangitau recalled.
‘‘All through preseason, they just said, ‘play your game, we have full confidence in you’, and I think that’s what sort of stuck.’’
Joseph has more than once referred to his young star as a Ferrari, and after that blistering start in 2025, Tangitau ground to a halt quicker than the actual Formula 1 team’s championship hopes.
He was laid low by a niggling groin injury, then a hernia, before returning to NPC duties with Auckland.
In a clear sign he is not far off cracking test rugby, Tangitau joined his Highlanders coach in the All Blacks XV for a northern tour, and relished the experience.
‘‘It was unreal. Pretty surreal playing with boys who had been in the All Blacks system, and it was cool to have Jamie there.
‘‘It was an unreal three weeks.’’
Making his test debut remains the clear goal, but that is a few steps along the way.
For now, Tangitau and his happy Highlanders mates are keen to build on a promising start to the season after the tense win over the Crusaders.
That gave them ‘‘big confidence’’ but was just a start.
There appears no lack of confidence in a potent Highlanders back three, and Tangitau is buzzing to finally be playing with classy fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, who returned from a serious neck injury last year just as the youngster was laid low.
It was a big step for Westlake Boys’ product Tangitau to move to Dunedin, and there was possibly an unspoken fear at the Highlanders that he would seek a return to the Blues after his first contract.
But the winger has embraced being a Highlanders man and showed his commitment to the club by extending his contract to 2028.
‘‘It’s a real small community down here, and easy to get to certain things.
‘‘I’m loving the team culture. We’re a bit of a young group, all with the same sort of personality. It just feels like a big family down here, and I’m loving it.’’
The Highlanders have their captain’s run today and host the Chiefs tomorrow night.
