The try that left Gregor Townsend desperate to pick Sione Tuipulotu
As soon as Scottish qualified centre Sione Tuipulotu signed for Glasgow Warriors in March from Japanese side Yamaha Jubilo, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend would have been licking his lips at the thought of picking him.
That has now become a reality, as the 24-year-old Australian-born back has been selected at No13 against Tonga this Saturday at Murrayfield. Tuipulotu qualifies through his Glaswegian grandmother, and Townsend has wasted no time in getting him into his starting XV.
The 5’11”, 102kg powerhouse would have left Townsend in a frenzy when he created this try for George Horne in September against Ulster. With brutal power and a great offload, he could be a real weapon in the midfield for Scotland. With Tests against Australia, South Africa and Japan to follow the Tonga match, Tuipulotu will hope to stake a claim to keep hold of the No13 shirt throughout the autumn.
Take a look:
⚔ @GlasgowWarriors' George Horne goes over in the corner!
Amazing power by Sione Tuipulotu to crash through the tackle and set it up 💥 pic.twitter.com/XMqdimCxRE
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) September 24, 2021
There’s a lot more than just power in his game though, shown by his try recently against Zebre, where he showed some slick hands, touching the ball three times before scoring.
Great offloads and fantastic free flowing rugby from @GlasgowWarriors! 🔥
Sione Tuipulotu finishes of a brilliant move for the try ⚔#URC #ZEBGLA pic.twitter.com/snifQQlwq5
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 16, 2021
Scotland 23 to face Tonga
15. Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby – 19 caps
14. Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors – 1 cap
13. Sione Tuipulotu – Glasgow Warriors – Uncapped
12. Sam Johnson – Glasgow Warriors – 18 caps
11. Rufus McLean – Glasgow Warriors – Uncapped
10. Blair Kinghorn – Edinburgh Rugby – 25 caps
9. Ali Price (cc) – Glasgow Warriors – 42 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby – Uncapped
2. George Turner – Glasgow Warriors – 17 caps
3. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 38 caps
4. Jamie Hodgson – Edinburgh Rugby – Uncapped
5. Rob Harley – Glasgow Warriors – 22 caps
6. Jamie Ritchie (cc) – Edinburgh Rugby – 27 caps
7. Hamish Watson – Edinburgh Rugby – 41 caps
8. Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 13 caps
Replacements
16. Stuart McInally – Edinburgh Rugby – 40 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors – 18 caps
18. Oli Kebble – Glasgow Warriors – 8 caps
19. Marshall Sykes – Edinburgh Rugby – Uncapped
20. Luke Crosbie – Edinburgh Rugby – Uncapped
21. Nick Haining – Edinburgh Rugby – 8 caps
22. Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors – Uncapped
23. Ross Thompson – Glasgow Warriors – Uncapped
