Having missed the Six Nations through injury, Sione Tuipulotu feels he’s now finding his best stuff again, the kind of power and influence that shot him to favourite for the Lions Test 12 jersey in the first place.
“I’m starting to get my feet back underneath me,” said the centre after playing the full 80 minutes in the convincing win over Western Force on Saturday.
“Obviously, I haven’t played Test rugby since the autumn. I still feel like I’ve got massive growth to do and I know I can start playing my best rugby in the bigger games at the end of this tour.”
There’s no doubt he is getting better with every game. There’s also no doubt that the battle for the Test midfield partnership is intense.
In Perth the partnership was Tuipulotu and Garry Ringrose, who the Scotland captain was impressed by, to put it mildly. “Jeez, mate, he’s a missile out there,” Tuipulotu said of the Irishman’s physicality.
He enjoyed being alongside Ringrose in the red of the Lions as opposed to in front of him in the blue of Scotland.
The last time Tuipulotu faced Ringrose in the international arena was at the World Cup in Paris in 2023. Ireland sprinted into a 36-0 lead before Scotland managed a couple of late consolation tries. Ringrose was exceptional on one of the darker days of Tuipulotu’s Test career.
“He backed himself to make those [defensive] reads,” said Tuipulotu of the howitzers Ringrose put in on a succession of Western Force attackers. “He left a few sore bodies out there, including himself. What a player.
“I really enjoyed playing with him. And then I also enjoyed when Shuggie [Huw Jones] came off the bench and got some valuable minutes after being out for a while.”
In all probability Jones, after his Lions debut against the Force, will get his chance to shine from the start on Wednesday when Andy Farrell’s side face the more difficult challenge of the Reds in Brisbane. The Reds, coached by incoming Wallabies boss Les Kiss, finished fifth in this season’s Super Rugby compared to the Force who struggled in ninth.
Pre-match in Perth, when the stadium announcer was calling the teams, Tuipulotu was introduced as “another former Aussie Sione Tuipulotu”, a crack at the Melbourne-born centre’s expense. Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman, the other southern hemisphere-born Lions, got similar treatment from the wiseguy with the mic.
Tuipulotu had a chuckle at the wind-up. “I knew there would be some good humour coming back home to Australia,” he said. “Look, these are all things we’ve got to take in our stride. To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. You know, I was born here. I don’t know how funny that gag is to everyone.
“But I’m loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I’m really passionate about it. Andy [Farrell] has brought the group together so well. To play under a coach like him, I can see why Ireland has been so successful in the past.”
