Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu spent the first four years of his life living in Tonga – his father’s homeland – and he’s delighted to see the Pacific Islands side boosted at this World Cup by the recruitment of several former All Blacks through the three-year stand-down rule.
But any suspicion that he may be conflicted ahead of this evening crucial Pool B clash in Nice is quickly dismissed when he is asked about the possibility that one of his rugby-playing younger could end up playing for Tonga one day.
“My littlest brother is 19. I could end up playing him the next time we play Tonga. If I do, I’ll kick his head in,” he retorted. “I think he will have the Scotland jersey on this weekend, but he might just wait until the game is finished to see the result first!
“I’m not sure where he will end up. If it was up to me, all my brothers would come play with me in Scotland,” added the 26-year-old, who is the middle child of five, with two older sisters (Kiesse and Keanna) and two younger brothers.
Tuipulotu’s middle brother, Mosese, was linked with a move to Glasgow Warriors earlier this year before eventually agreeing a contract extension with the Melbourne Rebels and pledging his allegiance to Australia.
The youngest brother, 19-year-old Tavi, is also in the Rebels set-up but coming back from an ACL injury at the moment
“After I was born in Melbourne, mum and dad moved back to Tonga for four years then back to Australia when I was four,” Tuipulotu explains, when asked just how close his personal link with the archipelago is. “We went on holiday to Tonga every two years after that.”
“Did the thought of playing for Tonga cross my mind? Definitely. When I got to Japan [to play for Yamaha Jubilo in 2019] it was something that I thought about. I played with my cousin there, Viliami Tahitu’a, who was a Tongan international, and he was going to ask me to pledge my allegiances to Tonga.
“I just wasn’t sure at that point but it’s so good to see some of those big players like Malakai Fekitoa and Charles Piutau going back to play for Tonga. It gives so much hope to the country back home. I want to do my part in that on Sunday, by playing hard against them for Scotland and showing my passion for Tonga that way.
“I’m sure they will be trying to take my head off in the same regard, which is part of the game. It’s something you’ve got to love – I’m looking forward to competing against them.”
Tonga lost 59-16 to Ireland in their opening match of the campaign, but they made life hard for Ireland in the first half before running out of steam, and given their limited time together due to players being scattered at clubs across the globe, getting a tough game and extra week of training under their belt should lead to a significant improvement in cohesion.
“It’s massive [to have that time together],” agreed Tuipulotu. “For those Polynesian countries, it gives so much hope to the islands back home. We saw Fiji last week and what it did for their people. It gives them hope, uplifts them and gives them something to be happy about.”
Tuipulotu’s father, Tuhefohe – the Tongan connection – hasn’t stayed back in Melbourne to keep an eye on Ravi; but his mother, Angelina – the Scottish connection through her mother Jacqueline Anne Thomson from Greenock – arrived just before the South Africa match, providing some light-relief and a morale-boost in the aftermath of that 18-3 defeat.
“It was actually quite good because my mum doesn’t know anything about rugby, so she thought we all played really well,” he smiled. “I kind of knew we didn’t but when I saw her after the game and she said: ‘Oh, you guys all played so well’, it was refreshing and picked me up for that 20-minutes. But then I was back to ground zero when we got on the bus.
“It was nice to see my mum after that. That’s the best things about mums, they pick you up when you are feeling down.
“My Dad will wake up and watch the Tonga match, so I’ll wait for his message after the game,” he added. “I know he’s got both jerseys in the house … I’ll have to ask my little brother which one he’s got on. I’m sure he’ll be going for us. “Playing against your father’s country is a tricky one," he did concede. "No matter how much you try not to think about it, it’s always kind of there in the back of your mind. But I’m fully focused on getting the victory for Scotland tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be emotional during the anthems and stuff. Of course, I’ve got a lot of love for Tonga, and that side of my heritage. But tomorrow I’m fully focused on doing my best to get a win for Scotland, to get our World Cup back on the road.”
Since the turn of the year, Tuipulotu’s midfield partnership with Huw Jones – earning them a shared nickname of ‘Huwipulotu’ – has been a key feature of Scotland’s vaunted attack, but that combination has been broken up this weekend with Chris Harris getting his chance in the No 13 jersey.
Tuipulotu is quick to dismiss any notion that breaking up the pairing could impair Scotland's back play.
“In the early days when I was getting my first couple of caps for Scotland I was playing under his wing, and I’ve learned a lot from Chris both sides of the ball, but particularly defensively,” said Tuipulotu.
“I was a bit of a rogue defender back then and he’s always put his arm around me and helped me, and tomorrow I feel very comfortable with him alongside me. We’re going to out there and have a great performance together.
"The people I’ve been around on this journey, people like Chris Harris and Sam Johnson back at Glasgow, who have walked the path before me, have helped me iron out those parts of my game.
"I’d like to think I’ve worked hard to fit into the mould of being a good Scotland player."
