Taniela Tupou says he “didn’t want to leave [Australia]”, but the giant prop’s hand was forced when he didn’t live up to the expectations of being a $1 million star.
“I’m at peace with it,” Tupou told reporters following the Waratahs’ 21-10 loss to the Lions.
“I understand what they’re doing. It’s like if I’m paying you to work for me and you’re not working for me, why am I keeping you? And that’s exactly what happened to me last year and this year, I wasn’t performing.
“It’s only fair that they look for someone else who can do the job because at the moment I can’t do it. At the end of the day, it’s business. Sometimes you’ve just got to look out for your family and that’s what I’m doing.”
Taniela Tupou admits he didn’t justify his price tag to be retained in Australia, but prays that his move to France will help him get back to his best. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
The French Top 14 side will be Tupou’s fourth club in as many years, having signed a jaw-dropping $1.2m deal to join the Rebels in 2024 before the Super Rugby franchise’s closure saw him move to Sydney to join the Waratahs.
But his move to the Harbour City, where he packed down with Dave Porecki and Angus Bell in an all-Wallabies front-row, didn’t prove to be the catalyst to kick-start his career.
Now, the 152kg prop is preparing for his biggest move yet after agreeing to another big deal in Paris.
It comes after Tupou helped get the better of the French scrum on the eve of the 2023 World Cup, where he and Bell went to town at the Stade de France.
The expectations and the spotlight will similarly be on Tupou’s every move and scrum.
He will head to the French Top 14 glamour club trying to achieve something some recent greats haven’t been able to do: win the affection of the club.
Indeed, Springboks captain and double World Cup champion Siya Kolisi didn’t last long as he was chastised by Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti, who said the back-rower “gained weight and lost shape” after arriving at the club following the French tournament in late 2023.
Former England captain Owen Farrell, too, left with his reputation harmed after a similarly underwhelming season, which saw him leave recently and return to Saracens.
It’s why many are sceptical as to whether Racing is the best club for him to land at, but Tupou isn’t shying away from the challenge.
“Racing is a big move for me,” Tupou admitted. “I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to leave [Australia], that’s the honest truth. Australia is all I know. I wanted to give everything for Australia. But I think it is time for me to go and try something different.
“I pray that it brings the best out in me. It will be a real challenge. I know how tough the Top 14 is. It is something I am looking forward to. I spoke to their coach [Patrice Collazo] who used to be a tight-head prop. That helps. He will look after me for sure. A tight head is a tight head.”
Taniela Tupou started to find his feet for the Waratahs at the tail-end of the Super Rugby season. (Photo by Robbie Stephenson/Getty Images)
Tupou tracked down Farrell following Saturday’s clash against the Lions for a quick word.
His question?
“I asked him if he had left all the money at Racing for me,” Tupou said.
Tupou’s quip was the only time the known joker’s guard dropped after a sobering couple of years, where he struggled physically and mentally after rupturing his Achilles in Dublin at the end of 2022.
Having courageously let the public into his inner battles in recent months, Tupou said he was finding his feet after seeking external help.
“[When rugby is joyful] you see a different man,” he says. “You see happiness, you see smiling, you see joking around. There would be no point in me doing that now because I would be faking it.
“I am speaking to a psychologist and getting help. I realised there was no way I could deal with this myself and try to hide it. It was showing with my performances. So I reached out for help and I am talking to people at the moment.
“We are getting there. There is still a lot of work to do before that smile is back. Hopefully it will be one day soon. It has been tough. There is expectation to perform. There is pressure. When I don’t do it, then there is more pressure. I let that get to me. It is frustrating.”
Released by Joe Schmidt from Wallabies camp to pull on the Waratahs jersey over the weekend, Tupou said he was given a simple bit of advice: have fun.
“That’s what I need to hear,” Tupou says. “I did not go out there thinking, ‘I have to do this, or I have to do that’.”
Taniela Tupou in the loose against Andy Farrell’s Irish team at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
While Tupou had a tough evening at the office at the scrum, with Paul Williams pinged the tight-head on four occasions for multiple offences, the prop also showed his ability to do something out of the box as he helped set up a try for Darby Lancaster after some neat work to get the ball out wide.
Although his coach, Dan McKellar, admitted there was a perception issue Tupou might have to get past to succeed against the lions, the former front-rower said he expected the Wallabies tight-head to still play a role in the series.
“I think what Taniela gives you is a sense of comfort and security around scrum time, and in Test matches against a quality team from the northern hemisphere, the scrum is going to be important,” McKellar said.
“Tonight, a couple of decisions went against him. On another night, they’ll go his way. I’m pretty sure that he’s still in the frame for Test one.”
As for Tupou, the Tongan Thor is craving one last chance to prove to himself as much as anyone what he can do in the gold jersey.
“I know what Taniela can do. The challenge is, can I get out there and do it for Australia?” Tupou says.
“I’m not in the [Australia] team at the moment so I’m not sure what the go is. It would mean the world to me to be able to give back to a country that has done so much for me to be able to help win the series.”
