'Lions must take it in their stride,' insists Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu after Aussie jibes
Sione Tuipulotu insists the British and Irish Lions must continue to shrug off any provocation during their tour of Australia.
The Scotland captain is one of eight players in Andy Farrell's squad who were born, raised and educated in the southern hemisphere, and he was among those caught in the crosshairs by the Tannoy announcer at Optus Stadium before Saturday's 54-7 rout of Western Force.
'Another Aussie at No 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil. 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!
'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.'
Finn Russell was at the heart of the onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who said: '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.
'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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Steve Smith plots return for second West Indies Test after baseball cage hitout
Steve Smith has backed young guns Sam Konstas and Cameron Green to find their feet in the Caribbean, with the Australia batting great expecting to return to face West Indies in the second Test after putting his injured finger to the test in an unusual setting. The former captain missed Australia's 159-run victory in the first Test against West Indies after injuring a finger when spilling a catch in the World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa. Smith still needs to prove his fitness after suffering a compound dislocation of a finger at Lord's but is on track to slot straight back into the No 4 spot with Australia's top order under siege. Firebrand opener Konstas returned to the Test XI with scores of 3 and 5 against West Indies, while Green held onto the No 3 spot in place of Marnus Labuschagne but followed up a meagre return in the WTC final with 3 and 15 on a spicy deck in Bridgetown. 'Sometimes you've got to grind it out on those wickets and try and see out the good balls as much as possible,' Smith said. 'But then when you get anything loose, you've got to try and climb into it. 'There has been a lot of talk around it, but they're good players and we just need to give them an opportunity. It doesn't always come round straight away. It can take some time.' Smith retreated to New York between the WTC final and the start of Australia's tour of the Caribbean to continue his recovery from a gruesome finger injury while watching the first Test from afar. The right-hander has had the stitches removed from his damaged finger but still has it in a splint that he will bat with if selected for the second Test at St George's in Grenada. Smith found a novel way to test his finger in Manhattan but will be back in more familiar surroundings as he bats in the nets on the day before the second Test begins on Wednesday local time if only to 'find a bit of rhythm'. 'I found a baseball cage,' Smith said of his stay in the US. 'My mate actually told me about it, which was ideal, because it was pretty warm there, it was like 36C. Up on 71st and the West Side Highway underneath this bridge, there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion 'It was nice to hit a few balls, everything felt good. I videoed it, sent it back to the medical staff and they were pretty happy with some of the shots I played. 'I won't have the feeling in that finger with the splint touching the bat. But the fortunate part is, most batters take those fingers off the bat to play a lot of their shots, I probably keep mine on for most of them being a bottom-hand player.' While Smith is confident he will be able to take on the West Indies pace attack, the 36-year-old will be shifted out of the slips cordon to field at mid-off or mid-on, or further away at fine leg. 'I'll be training as normal and then fielding some balls in front of the wicket, which would probably be the strangest thing for me,' Smith said. 'I don't think I've ever done that in a Test match.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Wallabies release Tupou for Waratahs clash with Lions
June 30 (Reuters) - Australia prop Taniela Tupou has been released from the Wallabies squad to join the New South Wales Waratahs for their tour match against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday, leaving his hopes of featuring in the test series up in the air. The move means Tupou will not be selected for Sunday's test in Newcastle against Fiji, the Wallabies' last warmup before they face the Lions in the series-opener in Brisbane on July 19. With the Wallabies' match-day squad against Fiji likely to be close to coach Joe Schmidt's first-choice team for the Lions, Tupou may need to produce something special for the Waratahs to be considered for the series. Tupou, who has 58 tests under his belt, had an inconsistent season for the Waratahs in Super Rugby but was nonetheless named in Schmidt's squad for Fiji which includes Allan Alaalatoa, Tom Robertson and Zane Nonggorr as tighthead prop options. The Lions kicked off their tour of Australia on Saturday with a thumping 54-7 win over Western Force in Perth. They next face a Queensland Reds team featuring nine Wallabies, including centre Hunter Paisami and hooker Matt Faessler, at Lang Park in Brisbane on Wednesday. Former New Zealand prop Aidan Ross, the Reds' new signing, will also start against the Lions.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How footy great Braith Anasta has made a FORTUNE out of massive sport media shake-up
NRL great Braith Anasta has emerged as one of Aussie sport media's biggest success stories after securing a high-profile contract extension with Fox Sports' new owners. Anasta - and his fellow Fox Sports host Matty Johns - have recently signed upgraded deals that will see them through to the end of the 2028 NRL season as streaming giant DAZN makes moves after buying Foxtel. The global streaming giant's recent purchase marked a huge shake-up in Australian sports media, with the company expected to soon begin negotiations for a broadcast deal with the NRL. Anasta, who retired from rugby league in 2014, has transitioned seamlessly to working in the media and has become a household name among footy fans. In 2022, he took over as the host of NRL 360 and ratings have been on the up ever since. 'We didn't realise Braith was going to be this good,' Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley told News Corp. Anasta has been an NRL 360 host since 2022 and ratings have been on the up 'He's done a remarkable job, and I have a suspicion he's going to continue to get better.' Anasta's deal is said to be lucrative, but the exact figures remain undisclosed. 'When you put hosts in, sometimes they think they've got to present like the people before them,' Crawley said. 'With Braith, he's got a new way of presenting sport that is very much a 2025 contemporary way. 'They've got to be themselves. His work ethic is unbelievable, and he's world-class. 'We're delighted to have him for another three years.' Anasta took to social media over the weekend to confirm that he was extending his contract and thank those who have helped him along the way. 'Dream big kiddos, block out the noise, surround yourself with good people and work your f**king ass's off,' he posted. 'Always striving to be the best I can possibly be. 'Thank you to my family, friends, work colleagues and everyone who has and is supporting me along this incredible journey. There is no way in the world I'd be here without every single one of you.' Beyond his role as a Fox Footy pundit, Anasta also runs the sports management company Searoo, which represents NRL stars including Cameron Munster and Lachlan Ilias.
