I've played many times with Carthage and they were always beaten by taras... they don't attack it for many turns... and then Taras captures Arpi and Capua, while rome tries desperatly to conquer the Po valley...
The garrison is too strong, and the General commanding it becames very early a general much more powerfull than everyone rome has...

I bribe Epeiros Army's but still rome need 10 years at best to conquer it...
Playing with BI the punic wars came relatively soon, because rome invaded corsica in 267 bc... but they only attacked messana in 252bc...
When they did so they almost destroyed my army, but as a surpise my allies the KH send a 13 unit stack to Tarentum... at no efect though

sorry if i got a little of the title... But the tarentum garrison should be weakened