The Taniela Tupou 2021 mix tape everyone needs to see
As the rugby season draws to a close in the Southern Hemisphere, it has reached the time of the year where plenty of highlights reels are being shared.
To kick off the highlights season is a video that has been shared on Twitter of Taniela Tupou’s 2021. This was quite a year for ‘Tonga Thor’ as he continued to stake his claim as being one of the best props in the game.
Not only did he enjoy a successful campaign with the Reds in Super Rugby AU at the beginning of the year, helping them win the competition, but he enjoyed plenty of success with the Wallabies. The highlights reel shows some of his most devastating moments on the field, usually with ball in hand, and is capped off with his stunning one handed offload to Marika Koroibete against the Springboks in their 30-17 win over the world champions in September.
Take a look:
📼 Tupou 2021 mix tape#Wallabies #SuperRugbyPacific #TonganThor pic.twitter.com/SmQIWaSs5Q
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) November 29, 2021
Tupou featured in 13 of the Wallabies’ 14 Test matches this year, only missing the loss to England at Twickenham earlier this month. His absence was certainly felt in London, as the Wallabies struggled to dent the English defence throughout the match. The 25-year-old marked his return the week later against Wales with some rampaging carries at the Principality Stadium.
Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie opted to start Tupou on the bench in seven of his 13 Tests this year, perhaps as the 130kg tighthead is conditioned for shorter bursts. Then again, he operates as one of the most explosive and destructive impact subs in the game currently, and South Africa have shown this year that the replacement front row is just as, if not more, important than the starting trio.
For now, it is a couple of months off for the prop before the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season in February.
