While his was a relatively brief stint as a Crusader, Ace Tiatia still managed to pack a lot of other deeds into an interesting representative career. The robust Samoan hooker came to the Crusaders during the 1998 competition as a replacement after injury removed regular custodian Matt Sexton from the equation. Tiatia arrived having featured on six occasions the previous season for the Highlanders. He then went on to make an appearance for the Hurricanes in 1999, adding that to the 22 matches he played for Wellington between 1997 and 1999. After then opting to try his hand overseas at a number of clubs, including the London-based Saracens, Tiatia was summoned to represent his country in 2001, featuring in six Tests, including Samoa’s loss to New Zealand at North Harbour Stadium.