Tupou to challenge ‘the Beast’
RUGBY UNION: Taniela Tupou’s next Wallabies assignment reads like the latest Marvel Studios’ blockbuster.
The Queensland Reds’ heavyweight, affectionately known as ‘the Tongan Thor,’ will lock horns with South Africa’s Tendai ‘the Beast’ Mtawarira in a selection tit-fortat set to shake the foundations of Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The pair have been called into their respective run-on sides for the Port Elizabeth Test tomorrow morning (AEST) after waging a mesmeric battle as substitutes in Brisbane earlier this month.
Tupou, 22, claimed the honours at Suncorp Stadium and has impressed enough since to earn a run-on debut as the Wallabies chase their first win in South Africa since 2011.
“It’s an opportunity to go head-on with an experienced campaigner like Mtawarira from the very start,” Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said. “It’s probably a bit different for a young fella to start the game but he’ll bring the emotion and aggression as he always does.”
Tupou isn’t sure how to pronounce the Springbok veteran’s surname but he knows his nickname and what he’ll bring to the host’s scrum.
“Their No.1, what’s his name, ‘the Beast’, he’s one of the best and it’s going to be a big challenge going up against him again,” Tupou said of the 105Test veteran. “It’s going to be hard but good.”
Cheika sees the challenge of transitioning from a pinchhitting bench role to a starting berth as the next step in Tupou’s development.
“There’s heaps of upside. He’s still very young and this is a chance to step up and improve again,” the coach said.