he Manly winger added to his highlight reel of monster tackles when he knocked Cameron Munster clean off his feet during the Sea Eagles' heavy loss to Melbourne at Lottoland on Saturday.
Taufua has been making a name for himself cleaning up opponents for years, and a quick perusal of Youtube showcases Taufua rib-ticklers on the likes of Justin O'Neill, Young Tonumaipea, Issac Luke and now-teammate Dylan Walker.
Watch the brutal hit below
The Munster shot, which was arguably the new benchmark for tackle of the NRL season, left his teammates in awe, with noted big hitters Jake Trbojevic and Martin Taupau marvelling at his ability.
"I was right near it (and) it was one of the biggest hits I've ever seen," Trbojevic said.
"He's come from the other wing and somehow made the biggest connection ever."
Now, the huge hit is being felt all the way over in the United States, after it was originally picked up by sports site Bleacher Report and posted on Twitter.
The video quickly went viral with hundreds of comments from sports-mad Americans.
“When they say hit by a freight train, this must be what they mean,” one viewer wrote.
“With no pads omg, that’s an assault charge,” wrote another.
The huge hit earlier gained traction when it was posted on US sports highlights channel ‘House of Highlights’, with NBA stars even taking notice.
Don’t compare me to Matai, says Taufua
His big-hitting ability has earned him comparisons to Matai, who he played outside of on the Sea Eagles' left edge for five seasons before the Kiwi international centre was forced into retirement.
But Taufua says he doesn't deserve to be spoken about in the same breath as Matai, such is the respect he holds for him.
"Steve's name has been chucked up a lot but it's something that's been brought into my own game," Taufua said.
"The way we defend, it's an aggressive mentality that we have. As much as I appreciate the comparison to Stevie, I always say he's in a league of his own.
"I'd preferred not be compared to Steve because of the high regard I hold him in."
Taufua was coy about the hit on Monday, however when asked if he'd watched a replay, he admitted: "I won't lie, maybe about 25 times."
But he insisted he was just trying to shut down the elusive Storm five-eighth and kill off the play after flying in from the other side of the field.
"He's elusive and I was expecting him to step me," Taufua said.
"The highlight reel could have been different, he could have stepped me and scored. I had to anticipate what he was going to do, I was thankful the play stopped there."
This article originally appeared on 7NEWS
