Lote laps it up Townsville-style
FORMER Wallabies star Lote Tuqiri has been hamming it up Townsville-style ahead of the city’s biggest day of rugby.
The 67-game Test player has enjoyed an express tour of the region’s big attractions before Saturday’s Rugby Championship double header featuring the Wallabies, All Blacks, Springboks and Pumas at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
From fishing with Andrew Symonds on Havana Island, jetskiing with Johnathan Thurston on Magnetic Island and paddle-boarding with Australian Opals and Townsville Fire star Lauren Nicholson, Tuqiri lapped up as much of the Townsville lifestyle as he could.
He finished off his Townsville blitz with cocktails at The Ville Resort-casino’s Splash Bar alongside local music star Trent Bell.
Tuqiri said he couldn’t get enough of the Townsville lifestyle.
“It’s not just footy and army here. There’s definitely things to do here I didn’t realise,” Tuqiri said.
“I’ve come and played games here, but I never had enough time to do those things.
“I don’t think a lot of people can ever say they’ve been fishing with Andrew Symonds.
“The jeep on Maggie with Johnathan Thurston and jetskiing with him as well. I just didn’t realise what Townsville had to offer.”
Tuqiri played in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final for the Wallabies and scored 30 tries in his seven-year career in the green and gold.
He also played 167 NRL games — 99 of those for the Brisbane Broncos — and he played plenty of games in Townsville, so he knows just how well the city appreciates its sporting events.
“The top two rugby nations in the world at the moment (South Africa and New Zealand) will be playing, and we have Australia who are knocking on the door,” Tuqiri said.
“For me, the big game is the All Blacks and South Africa game, just given it’s the 100th Test played between those two countries. Townsville should consider itself lucky that it’s hosting both these games.
“You play that game in South Africa, it’s sold out months ago in massive stadiums, and you play that game in New Zealand and 50,000 seat stadiums are sold out – and probably in Europe as well.”
Tuqiri said his beloved Wallabies would also put on a show against the rugged Pumas, who have a proven ability to produce wins against more fancied opposition.
The Wallabies are currently the talk of world rugby after beating the world No.1 rated Springboks twice in the past fortnight.
“I think it will be a lot tighter than people realise,” Tuqiri said.
“I’m sure Australia will win it, but not as easily as a lot people might think, because Argentina haven’t been together that long but they are improving.
“Quade Cooper coming back for Australia has been huge because he’s a lot more mature and making mature decisions, so it’s really good to see.”