‘Freak of nature': Why Wallabies teammates aren't among the Tupou doubters
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and his staff ran similar train-on sessions in Perth earlier in the week, and will head to Queensland next week.
The groups are too big to revealing about much about Schmidt's intentions around who'll make the cut for the Fiji Test on July 6, and the Lions series thereafter.
The coach intends to name a 40-man squad after the Brumbies finish up their Super Rugby campaign. They play in the semi-finals against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.
One man who is convinced Tupou should not only be in the squad, but will play a big role in the series, is his NSW and Wallabies teammate Angus Bell.
'I think (Reds' lock) Lukhan (Salakaia-Loto) said it a couple of weeks ago - we know how important Taniela is for Australian rugby. If we're going to compete and beat the Lions, Taniela will be in and around the team and squad,' Bell said.
'He's a freak of nature and we all know that. We know how important he is, and what he can do in his career best form.'
Bell and Tupou became close friends when they were both going through long-term injury rehabilitation in 2023, and would travel to each other's home cities, Sydney and Brisbane, to train together.
Bell said the players had faith in Tupou.
'He's working really hard at NSW and he's working really hard at camps to get himself there, and we believe in Taniela,' he said.
'He's happy and he's looking forward to the test, and he's excited too, as well as everyone else in Australian rugby, it's a pretty cool time. Taniela will be awesome this year, I reckon.'
Compared to previous decades, the Wallabies have a respected top-tier of front-row strength, with Bell, Tupou, James Slipper and Alan Alaalatoa.
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'Alan's a world-class player. He's an amazing leader, and he's levelled up his game this year through obviously coming off the back of an Achilles rupture last year,' Bell said.
'Alan's absolutely killing it this year, and it's awesome to see. Same as James Slipper. James Slipper's probably career-best form too.'
Experienced two-sider Tom Robertson will also be firmly in Schmidt's plans - and challenge Tupou for a spot in the 23 - after a superb season for the Force. Robertson, who has 24 Test caps, won the Nathan Sharpe medal for the Force's best player, which was no small feat given he edged out Carlo Tizzano and Harry Potter.
Schmidt will be hoping for an injury-free few months because the next level of front-row depth in Australia is relatively shallow. Isaac Kailea was barely used by the Waratahs in 2025, and Alex Hodgman fell off Schmidt's radar last year.
An interesting one to watch is whether Chiefs loosehead Aidan Ross, who has signed for the Queensland Reds next year and is Wallabies eligible, may be called into the Schmidt's initial squad.
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