Tupou released from Wallabies to play in Tahs-Lions clash
Million-dollar man Taniela Tupou has a fight on his hands to play in the Test series for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions after the big prop was released back to the Waratahs for their clash with the Lions on Saturday.
The Wallabies announced on social media on Monday morning that Tupou would leave their camp and re-join the Tahs to prepare for their match against the Lions at Allianz Stadium.
It ensures Tupou won't be part of the Wallabies' team to play against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday, which gets named on Friday.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is set to name his strongest team for the warm-up clash against the Fijians, which duly points to Tupou being down the pecking order of props and in danger of missing the first Test team against the Lions in Brisbane on July 19.
The $1.1 million tighthead prop endured a poor season with the Waratahs and even spoke candidly about preparing himself for the bad news of not being picked in the Wallabies squad for the Lions tour.
That didn't eventuate, with Tupou named in Schmidt's 36-man squad last week. But his standing as a first-choice player in the Test side appears to have changed.
The 145kg prop has a perfect opportunity to impress Schmidt against the Lions, however, who are also expected to name a Test-strength side for the Waratahs.
Lions coach Andy Farrell will show his cards on Monday morning when he names a side to meet the Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday night.
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Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Jorgensen and Suaalii to return for Wallabies against Fiji
The key questions that will be answered on Friday will be whether Will Skelton starts in the second-row or comes from the bench, and whether Zane Nonnggorr or Tom Robertson takes the role of back-up tighthead to Allan Alaalatoa. The choice between Langi Gleeson, Carlo Tizzano and Tom Hooper for reserve loose forward will also be interesing. Despite speculation there could be a change of captain, Wilson is set to keep the role for the Fiji Test, at least. Loading Wallabies flanker Fraser McReight said on Monday the habit of Schmidt not naming a captain when announcing a squad was not a huge issue. 'I don't think too many boys are worried, to be honest,' McReight said. 'Obviously, there's a leadership group, and there's full of experience in this team. There's plenty. We've got something like six Wallaby captains in this group and so many captains at Super Rugby, so there's plenty of leadership to lean on.' Selection to play against Fiji will give players the upper-hand as far as consideration to play against the Lions in the first Test in Brisbane, although the players released have the welcome ability to play against the Lions in a Super Rugby side and storm back in contention - as Dylan Pietsch did in Perth. However, the Lions series is not the players' focus in their Newcastle camp, said McReight. 'It's just all focused about Fiji. It's tough to say about the Lions … There are so many moving parts, with Super Rugby clubs needing more (players) and everything going on like that,' he said. 'That's the coach's decision. We're just trying to do our best to stay present and get through each training day. We work hard with each other and push each other really well. So I think that's the depth of the squad is that we've got a lot of competition in every position. It's got to be quite fierce at times.' McReight said the Wallabies are aiming to pick up with where they left things on the Spring Tour, and evolve into a stronger side. 'It's just building on what we finished with last year, and all of last year. Those are the key fundamentals,' he said. 'Hopefully, obviously, now year two under Joe, we can build a stronger base and be a bit more clinical. Same sort of people around the group, so connection's going to be there. So hopefully, yeah, you can see some more attacking rugby, people more integrated.'
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
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He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us. THE Wallabies were once Australia's favourite team. Sports fans above the age of 30 will recall the halcyon days. But times have changed, which is why the new-generation Wallabies have been bending over backwards to connect with fans in Newcastle the past few days. Players were mobbed by school kids at an open training session on Friday. Wallabies then served in the canteen, cooked snags on the barbecue, sold raffle tickets, and stood in the cold watching club rugby on Saturday Joseph Sua'ali'i - the game's $5 million man - joined starry-eyed youngsters for a game of touch footy. The Wallabies have invested in Newcastle, and they're hoping the city invests in them when they play Fiji this weekend. It's a long way from those glory years, and it's hard to imagine the likes of George Gregan, Wendell Sailor or Matt Burke having to man the canteen to drum up support. In 2002, the Bledisloe Cup took pride of place in a clattered trophy cabinet. Not even a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal in the World Cup final on home soil in 2003 hurt the Wallabies' popularity. As the saying goes - or went - 'everyone wanted tro be a Wallaby'. You could mount a similar argument in 2015. Again, Australia made the World Cup final, going down 34-17 to the All Blacks. Kids wanted to be the next Will Genia, the next Israel Folau, Matt Giteau, Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale ... However, the Wallabies results and popularity have since dropped off a cliff. Rock bottom was the 2023 World Cup in France and Australia's failure to progress past the group stage. The Matildas, Aussie cricket, Socceroos and Kangaroos now vie for Australia's most-loved-team tag. The Wallabies sit fifth, ahead of the Boomers, just. But maybe, just maybe, it's time for the Australian public to jump back on board. An encouraging 2024 under well-credentialed Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt is reason for optimism. The Wallabies take on Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday ahead of a blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions. The hard work has not been restricted to the training paddock and gym. The Wallabies have gone above and beyong to interact with the community since arriving in Newcastle. "Going to watch the Shute Shield, everyone was very accommodating," Wallabies breakaway Fraser McReight said. "There were plenty of young fans getting autographs. We had about 300 school kids at an open training session as well. It has been great. "Getting together with communities and representing the brand of the Wallabies is super important." So too is winning Test matches. While there is much hype about the Lions series, the Wallabies are focused on Fiji. The Pacific Island nation upset Australia 22-15 - and sent shockwaves across the 2023 World Cup - in their last encounter. "That was a tough game obviously," said McReight, who played breakaway at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. "They were up for it and played a cracker. It was the first time they had beaten us in 60 or 70 years. "This is not a warm-up game. This is a game we need to get ready for. It's a Test match against Fiji, which is a bloody good side. "They have threats all over the park, but so do we. It is about building on how we finished last year. "Now we are in year two under Joe Schmidt, we build a bigger base and be more clinical. "We watched some clips [from the last loss to Fiji] this week. A lot of the clips were the first time I had rewatched parts of that game. We are not too worried about getting revenge. "We have a new group here. We have a new destination where we want to go." Western Force back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny is one of two uncapped players, alongside Corey Toole, in the 36-man Wallabies squad. The 28-year-old from Canberra, like many of the current crop, is largely unknown in the wider rugby community. He finished school and moved to Sydney, where he played in the Shute Shield before four years in the Top 14 in France with Castres. He played for the Force in a 54-7 defeat to the Lions on Saturday - the tourists' opening game - and arrived in Newcastle Sunday night. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself with the Wallabies. "To play for the Wallabies is the pinnacle," Champion de Crespigny. "You grow up watching them. It would mean everything to me." And just maybe to the rest of us.
