Tuipulotu believes ‘stars have aligned' for him as Lions arrive in Melbourne

The Guardian

3 days ago

Sione Tuipulotu has to raise his game this week. By his own admission he has not been up to scratch. He has been surprised by just how off the pace he has been, but he is confident he will deliver in the buildup to the second Test between the British & Irish Lions and Australia.
Tuipulotu is, of course, referring to his role as Lions tour guide, having grown up in Australia as Andy Farrell's players arrive in his home city of Melbourne hoping to wrap up the series. 'I haven't actually been that good at it,' he says. 'It's surprising, I don't actually know that much about Australia having lived here that long. I know a bit about Melbourne so I'll point the boys to some good spots.'
On the field, however, Tuipulotu believes 'the stars are aligning'. Like Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne, the Scotland centre was among a group of players who had yet to hit their straps before rising to the challenge in Saturday's first Test victory in Brisbane. The 28-year-old carried hard, won significant metres, made repeated use of his dextrous footwork and became the first Scotland international to score a Test try for the Lions in 28 years, receiving a sublime pass from Finn Russell and finishing off during the visitors' first-half onslaught.
Tuipulotu was at his combative best, relishing his duel with Joseph Suaalii – 'he's a competitor and so am I.' – and justifying Andy Farrell's decision to select an all-Scotland 10-12-13 axis. The Lions grew sloppy enough in the second half in Brisbane to know the Wallabies will not roll over in Melbourne, but the opportunity to wrap up a first Lions series win in 12 years in his home city is not lost on Tuipulotu.
'It's kind of crazy that we can close out the series in my home town where I grew up,' he says. 'I know all of the attention is going to shift on to how we can play better from this game. We left a lot of points out there in the first half. The game should have been done a long time. The first 30-40 minutes, we could have put enough points on to really put a nail in the coffin. But to go back to Melbourne this week, hopefully play in front of my family, the stars have aligned for me and I feel very grateful.'
Tuipulotu left Australia for Scotland four years ago and has rarely been back since. In Melbourne he will be cheered on by his nearest and dearest, however, including his grandmother Jacqueline, who grew up outside Glasgow and made the trip to Murrayfield in November to watch Scotland defeat the Wallabies. 'If you'd ask me when I first moved from Melbourne I would say, yeah, it is personal,' says Tuipuotu. 'There is still a chip on my shoulder, what has got me to this point is having that chip on my shoulder. But in terms of me being bitter about Australian rugby; not at all, mate.
'I wasn't good enough to play for the Wallabies when I was in Melbourne. It wasn't a selector problem, I wasn't good enough, that's plain and simple. I owe everything to Scottish rugby because they've made me the player that I am today and now I get the chance to go back to Melbourne and play in my home city and hopefully close out a Test series. My little brother Mosese was flag-bearer for the [Melbourne Test in 2013]. It was pretty cool. It's crazy that 12 years later I'm playing in one of these in a Test game. I'm really grateful.'
Tuipulotu's try on Saturday was the Lions' first and had echoes of a memorable Huw Jones effort against England at Murrayfield in 2018, with Russell looping a delightful pass for his teammate to run on to. The forwards provided the platform but Russell delivered a masterclass in Brisbane on his first Test start for the Lions.
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'I've been rooming with Finn this whole week,' says Tuipulotu. 'Being around him made me not overreact to the occasion. It felt like we were playing a Scotland game together, how we room together back with Scotland. His nature helps everyone and calms everyone. Then you add to that that he's got one of the best skillsets of any 10 in the world, it's a joy to play with.
'I can't take any credit for [the try], that's him finding me. He threw a pretty similar pass a few years ago against England to Huw Jones off his left hand. It was kind of weird, when he was throwing it I was kind of thinking of that, thinking he was going to throw it into that space. I didn't have to do much, just had to accelerate and catch the ball. That's why playing with special players is pretty cool.'