Don't know how funny that gag is – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie' dig
'Another Aussie at number 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the Scotland centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil.
Sione Tuipulotu made his presence felt against Western Force (Trevor Collens/AP)
Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman were also referenced by the nation of their birth rather than their adopted country, for whom they have qualified either through residency or family heritage.
It continued a theme from the hosts that began when Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described Tuipulotu and New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki as a 'southern-hemisphere centre partnership' in the build-up to the defeat by Argentina in Dublin.
Tuipulotu emphasised the words 'good humour' when brushing aside the jibes that he expected on his return Down Under.
'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride,' he said.
'To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone!
Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, left, and head coach Gregor Townsend celebrate after November's win over Australia (Andrew Milligan/PA)
'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.'
The victory in Perth exposed several shortcomings such as a high penalty count and creaking set-piece, but there was also much to admire in the attacking exuberance that produced eight classy tries.
Tougher tests than the Force await on tour but combined with the evidence gathered from the Aviva Stadium eight days earlier, Farrell's Lions are clearly keen to keep the ball alive – and on this occasion the passes stuck.
Finn Russell was at the heart of onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who declared: 'He's ready to go. And that's good.'
Tuipulotu, who expects to be firing by the Test series as he continues his comeback from a significant ankle injury, said: 'We're taking ideas from all the nations.
'Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there are a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then those ideas are being sprinkled on.
'When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face.
'There's a mixture there and that's what's going to make it hard to defend for opposition teams.
'They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it like Finn.
'Finn's a world-class number 10 and he's been here, been there, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos Williams controlled the game really well.
'We're still growing, there's a lot of growth left in us but the identity at least, you could see how we try to play the game out there.'
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The Guardian
an hour ago
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Australian rugby's incendiary attitude towards nationality needs extinguishing
So there we were in the bowels of Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday night. The post-game media mixed zone is not always the natural home of relaxed, honest repartee, but Sione Tuipulotu is a friendly guy and the British & Irish Lions had just won their opening tour game in Australia. It was a chance for a couple of ritual enquiries and a spot of gentle breeze-shooting. It was good to see Tuipulotu smiling aside from anything else. He'd missed the entire Six Nations through injury, initially putting his tour participation in doubt. It must have been a particularly tough period given he was Scotland's captain back in the autumn and also grew up in Melbourne. To say he fancied going on this trip would be an understatement. His backstory is also a multi-faceted sign of the times. The MacLeods and the Mackenzies have their famous clan tartans; the Tuipolotus not so much. His grandmother hails from Greenock but moved to Australia as a young girl. His father is from Tonga. The family genes, consequently, are more exotic than some and the concept of nationality correspondingly more blurred. Which, on this trip, puts him in the crosshairs of those who insist borders should be hard and fast and national flags non-transferable. Maybe the Western Force stadium announcer thought he was being hilarious as he rattled off the Lions team: 'The Aussie at No 14, Mack Hansen. Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu. The Kiwi now Irishman, James Lowe.' Either way, more fuel was instantly poured on one of sport's more incendiary debates. Tuipulotu didn't hear it – or claimed he didn't – but you could sense the 28-year-old's heart sinking when the subject inevitably came up. 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia,' he replied more than a touch wearily. 'These are all things we've got to take in our stride. Look, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everybody but I'm loving playing for Lions.' 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Equally ludicrous is the idea being pedalled in some quarters that if, say, Tuipulotu, Hansen and Lowe were to combine to score a series-clinching try against the Wallabies it would somehow cheapen the Lions ethos. Good luck with flogging that theory to Tuipulotu's proud granny Jacqueline, or, indeed, Andy Farrell. Because once they pull on a red jersey with a Lions badge on their chest, there should be no doubting any player's commitment. The eligibility rules are what they are and, until they change, the current whinging is both disrespectful and irrelevant. Those who disagree are entitled to their opinion. But if people think certain members of the Lions squad currently in Australia are devaluing the exercise they are very much barking up the wrong gum tree.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Don't know how funny that gag is – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie' dig
Tuipulotu, one of eight players in Andy Farrell's squad who were born, raised and educated in the southern hemisphere, was among those caught in the crosshairs before Saturday's 54-7 rout of Western Force. 'Another Aussie at number 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the Scotland centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil. Sione Tuipulotu made his presence felt against Western Force (Trevor Collens/AP) Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman were also referenced by the nation of their birth rather than their adopted country, for whom they have qualified either through residency or family heritage. It continued a theme from the hosts that began when Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described Tuipulotu and New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki as a 'southern-hemisphere centre partnership' in the build-up to the defeat by Argentina in Dublin. Tuipulotu emphasised the words 'good humour' when brushing aside the jibes that he expected on his return Down Under. 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride,' he said. 'To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone! Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, left, and head coach Gregor Townsend celebrate after November's win over Australia (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.' The victory in Perth exposed several shortcomings such as a high penalty count and creaking set-piece, but there was also much to admire in the attacking exuberance that produced eight classy tries. Tougher tests than the Force await on tour but combined with the evidence gathered from the Aviva Stadium eight days earlier, Farrell's Lions are clearly keen to keep the ball alive – and on this occasion the passes stuck. Finn Russell was at the heart of onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who declared: 'He's ready to go. And that's good.' Tuipulotu, who expects to be firing by the Test series as he continues his comeback from a significant ankle injury, said: 'We're taking ideas from all the nations. 'Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there are a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then those ideas are being sprinkled on. 'When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face. 'There's a mixture there and that's what's going to make it hard to defend for opposition teams. 'They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it like Finn. 'Finn's a world-class number 10 and he's been here, been there, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos Williams controlled the game really well. 'We're still growing, there's a lot of growth left in us but the identity at least, you could see how we try to play the game out there.'
