Tongan Thor coming for ‘tough buggers’
RUGBY UNION: Taniela Tupou is being urged to take on Georgia’s “tough buggers who don’t take crap from anybody”, just like he has heaved a mighty 300kg squat in the gym.
’Tongan Thor’, who has played just 40 minutes at this Rugby World Cup, will be in the super-sub role against Georgia in Shizuoka tomorrow night, when a repeat of his scrummaging and skittling ball-running (seven runs for 55m against Uruguay) would be ideal.
“All the boys were watching and encouraging … it was a walk in the park,” a grinning Tupou said of his 300kg lifting feat in Japan.
Seasoned Wallaby Sekope Kepu knows how important 132kg prop Tupou is to Australia in this tournament and for years to come.
Kepu, 33, will start in his 110th Test before a baton change to Tupou for a bruising Test against big, confrontational forwards such as the 130kg Konstantine Mikautadze and the skills many Georgians have honed in French rugby.
“They have a great scrum and pack and will try to take us on there,” Kepu said. “Look, they are big boys and, just hearing from guys like Drew Mitchell who played with them at Toulon, they are tough buggers who don’t really take crap from anybody.
“Fair enough. That’s how they grew up, that’s their culture and it’s no different to us (having our own).
“Against Uruguay, you saw what he (Tupou) can do and I just encourage him to bring that (high-impact) side of his game.
“He’s the strongest out on the field. I can guarantee that.”
— Jim Tucker in Japan
RUGBY UNION: Senior Wal- labies have bought into their coach’s competition-breedssuccess mantra at the Rugby World Cup, believing any potential pitfalls have been sidestepped.
Michael Cheika has adopted the approach that if players aren’t certain about selection, it will get the best out of them in Japan.
His team for tomorrow night’s final pool game against Georgia has another experimental feel, even though the quarter-finals week later. Classy outside back Dane Haylett-Petty (pictured) agreed the approach was out of character for Cheika, whose 2015 World Cup team made the final on the back of routinely fielding the same core. “We’ve been fighting for spots the whole way ... you’ve seen players given an opportunity and take that,” Haylett-Petty said, adding there had been no hint of team disharmony. arrive just a
— AAP