Latest news with #TanielaTupou
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Super Rugby LIVE: Waratahs take on Blues for last shot at finals
Latest posts Latest posts 1.58pm How the Waratahs are lining up Some big decisions here from coach Dan McKellar today in Auckland. Taniela Tupou gets a second successive start despite his slide tackle last week against the Force that led to a yellow card. The tighthead prop needs a big performance today, not only for NSW, but also for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. English breakaway Jamie Adamson gets a start, no doubt helped by his late line break against the Force that turned the game. The biggest headline is the young halves pairing of Jack Bowen and Teddy Wilson, with rumours swirling that Tane Edmed could be down the Hume Highway to Canberra, this could be the future of the Waratahs. Finally, Hugh Sinclair captains the side in what could be his final game for the Waratahs. 1.58pm Who have you got? 1.58pm Good afternoon Tahs fans Good afternoon, it's Jonathan Drennan and it's my pleasure to bring you the final round of the regular season of Super Rugby today, with the Waratahs taking on the Blues at fortress Eden Park. The bookmakers are not on side with NSW, with the odds as high as nine dollars against the men in sky blue and it's not difficult to see why. The Blues have won the last ten matches against the Waratahs, with NSW only winning once in their whole history at Eden Park, which was back in 2009 with current Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh captaining the side. Last Saturday, the Waratahs got their first win on the road this season against the Force in extra-time, with Darby Lancaster finishing spectacularly in the corner. Today is a day for the true believers. If the Waratahs win at Eden Park today they also need the Hurricanes to beat Moana Pasifika in Wellington to steal that elusive 6th place. The Waratahs have absolutely nothing to lose here and stranger things have happened than a NSW win against the odds this season.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Super Rugby LIVE: Waratahs take on Blues for last shot at finals
Latest posts Latest posts 1.58pm How the Waratahs are lining up Some big decisions here from coach Dan McKellar today in Auckland. Taniela Tupou gets a second successive start despite his slide tackle last week against the Force that led to a yellow card. The tighthead prop needs a big performance today, not only for NSW, but also for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. English breakaway Jamie Adamson gets a start, no doubt helped by his late line break against the Force that turned the game. The biggest headline is the young halves pairing of Jack Bowen and Teddy Wilson, with rumours swirling that Tane Edmed could be down the Hume Highway to Canberra, this could be the future of the Waratahs. Finally, Hugh Sinclair captains the side in what could be his final game for the Waratahs. 1.58pm Who have you got? 1.58pm Good afternoon Tahs fans Good afternoon, it's Jonathan Drennan and it's my pleasure to bring you the final round of the regular season of Super Rugby today, with the Waratahs taking on the Blues at fortress Eden Park. The bookmakers are not on side with NSW, with the odds as high as nine dollars against the men in sky blue and it's not difficult to see why. The Blues have won the last ten matches against the Waratahs, with NSW only winning once in their whole history at Eden Park, which was back in 2009 with current Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh captaining the side. Last Saturday, the Waratahs got their first win on the road this season against the Force in extra-time, with Darby Lancaster finishing spectacularly in the corner. Today is a day for the true believers. If the Waratahs win at Eden Park today they also need the Hurricanes to beat Moana Pasifika in Wellington to steal that elusive 6th place. The Waratahs have absolutely nothing to lose here and stranger things have happened than a NSW win against the odds this season.
Irish Examiner
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Struggling Wallabies prop Tupou worried he'll miss Lions series
Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou admits his performances this season have not been up to scratch and concedes that he might not make the Australia squad for the British & Irish Lions series in July and August. The powerful Tongan-born tighthead moved to the New South Wales Waratahs for this season after the demise of the Melbourne Rebels but has been relegated to the bench after turning in a series of disappointing displays in Super Rugby. "I really think it's mental, because the performance is not there and I start to second-guess myself, and start asking questions. 'Can I do this? Is this for me?' Or, 'am I good?' You start playing in your head," Tupou told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It feels like I just don't know what I'm doing, you know? I'm nervous to do things I used to do well, I used to just be running the ball, and just offloading, and just able to do things. "But I'm nervous to throw a pass. I don't know what it is, but I hope I can find a solution, because I want to play well for the Tahs, and I want to hopefully get back in the Wallabies one day." The 28-year-old said he has received plenty of support from the coaches at the Waratahs as well as Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and hoped he could reward them with an upturn in his form. "My focus now is just trying to play well for the Waratahs because at the moment I'm not performing, and it was a goal of mine to play against the Lions," he said. "But if I'm being honest with myself, I'm no chance of making that team because of how I've been performing this year." Tupou earned the nickname "Tongan Thor" as a rampaging schoolboy forward in New Zealand before moving to Australia to be with his brother. He has played 58 tests for the Wallabies since making his debut against Scotland in 2017 and is on one of Rugby Australia's most lucrative contracts, which is reported to earn him A$1 million ($641,000) a year. That deal expires at the end of the year and he wants to stay on for the 2027 World Cup on home soil, but knows the offer of a new contract is also dependent on his form. "It means so much to play for the Wallabies," he said. "This is the country that gave me so much. They gave me opportunities, me and my family." Reuters
The Star
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Struggling Wallabies prop Tupou worried he'll miss Lions series
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England v Australia - Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Britain - November 9, 2024 Australia's Taniela Tupou in action REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou admits his performances this season have not been up to scratch and concedes that he might not make the Australia squad for the British & Irish Lions series in July and August. The powerful Tongan-born tighthead moved to the New South Wales Waratahs for this season after the demise of the Melbourne Rebels but has been relegated to the bench after turning in a series of disappointing displays in Super Rugby. "I really think it's mental, because the performance is not there and I start to second-guess myself, and start asking questions. 'Can I do this? Is this for me?' Or, 'am I good?' You start playing in your head," Tupou told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It feels like I just don't know what I'm doing, you know? I'm nervous to do things I used to do well, I used to just be running the ball, and just offloading, and just able to do things. "But I'm nervous to throw a pass. I don't know what it is, but I hope I can find a solution, because I want to play well for the Tahs, and I want to hopefully get back in the Wallabies one day." The 28-year-old said he has received plenty of support from the coaches at the Waratahs as well as Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and hoped he could reward them with an upturn in his form. "My focus now is just trying to play well for the Waratahs because at the moment I'm not performing, and it was a goal of mine to play against the Lions," he said. "But if I'm being honest with myself, I'm no chance of making that team because of how I've been performing this year." Tupou earned the nickname "Tongan Thor" as a rampaging schoolboy forward in New Zealand before moving to Australia to be with his brother. He has played 58 tests for the Wallabies since making his debut against Scotland in 2017 and is on one of Rugby Australia's most lucrative contracts, which is reported to earn him A$1 million ($641,000) a year. That deal expires at the end of the year and he wants to stay on for the 2027 World Cup on home soil, but knows the offer of a new contract is also dependent on his form. "It means so much to play for the Wallabies," he said. "This is the country that gave me so much. They gave me opportunities, me and my family." ($1 = 1.5601 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Michael Perry)
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Struggling Wallabies prop Tupou worried he'll miss Lions series
SYDNEY, May 8 (Reuters) - Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou admits his performances this season have not been up to scratch and concedes that he might not make the Australia squad for the British & Irish Lions series in July and August. The powerful Tongan-born tighthead moved to the New South Wales Waratahs for this season after the demise of the Melbourne Rebels but has been relegated to the bench after turning in a series of disappointing displays in Super Rugby. "I really think it's mental, because the performance is not there and I start to second-guess myself, and start asking questions. 'Can I do this? Is this for me?' Or, 'am I good?' You start playing in your head," Tupou told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It feels like I just don't know what I'm doing, you know? I'm nervous to do things I used to do well, I used to just be running the ball, and just offloading, and just able to do things. "But I'm nervous to throw a pass. I don't know what it is, but I hope I can find a solution, because I want to play well for the Tahs, and I want to hopefully get back in the Wallabies one day." The 28-year-old said he has received plenty of support from the coaches at the Waratahs as well as Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and hoped he could reward them with an upturn in his form. "My focus now is just trying to play well for the Waratahs because at the moment I'm not performing, and it was a goal of mine to play against the Lions," he said. "But if I'm being honest with myself, I'm no chance of making that team because of how I've been performing this year." Tupou earned the nickname "Tongan Thor" as a rampaging schoolboy forward in New Zealand before moving to Australia to be with his brother. He has played 58 tests for the Wallabies since making his debut against Scotland in 2017 and is on one of Rugby Australia's most lucrative contracts, which is reported to earn him A$1 million ($641,000) a year. That deal expires at the end of the year and he wants to stay on for the 2027 World Cup on home soil, but knows the offer of a new contract is also dependent on his form. "It means so much to play for the Wallabies," he said. "This is the country that gave me so much. They gave me opportunities, me and my family." ($1 = 1.5601 Australian dollars)
