Freshly recruited by Racing 92, Taniela Tupou, the Australian right pillar of Tongan origin, took part in his first Top 14 meeting against Montauban on Saturday (61-16).
Since the announcement of the recruitment of Taniela Tupou (1.81m, 148 kg) by Racing 92 in the off-season, all the supporters of the Alto-Séquanais club have been waiting for this moment. The time has finally arrived. Saturday, on the synthetic turf of Paris La Défense Arena, the current 8th in the Top 14 welcomed US Montauban. And the least we can say is that Patrice Collazo’s gang was not kind to the promoted man by inflicting a severe correction on him (61-16). The manager of one of the two Ile-de-France clubs even pleased the public by bringing the Australian right pillar of Tongan origin into play shortly after the break.
And this very quickly gave a smile to the leaders of his club since “Tongan Thor” as he is nicknamed scored his first two tries to seal the score of this game.
An indiscipline to be corrected
For a little over half an hour, the 29-year-old Australian international (69 caps) showcased his power, his knowledge of the game and his experience. No one will remember his penalty conceded on an attempted scratch when he had not released the tackle on an opponent. Taniela Tupou has in any case made a successful debut with Racing 92 with areas of improvement for the future, particularly in terms of indiscipline and physical condition. Adjustments that do not worry Patrice Collazo. “It’s the first time he played on synthetic, he will have to adapt because his back has sometimes suffered,” admitted the manager in comments quoted by L’Équipe. But he was very dashing. He is a player with extraordinary qualities, who, like Ben Tameifuna or Uini Atonio, loves and demands the ball. It’s up to us to put him in the best possible conditions, but we’re going to take it step by step, so that he adapts to the requirements of the Top 14.”
