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'I'm relieved' - Sione Tuipulotu pens new Glasgow deal, explains why
By
Bryn Palmer
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu has handed Glasgow and national coach Gregor Townsend a major fillip by resisting the overtures of leading English and French clubs and committing his future to Warriors.
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RugbyPass revealed last month that the 27-year-old was a target for Premiership duo Bath and Harlequins, as well as several Top 14 outfits including Stade Francais.
But with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Australia-born Tuipulotu has now signed a three-year extension which will see him remain at the current URC champions until at least the summer of 2028.
“My biggest emotion is that I’m relieved to be staying, to be honest!” he told the Warriors website. “Whenever I get into contract negotiations, there’s so much noise around, so I’m delighted to be able to put pen to paper. I’m really happy in Glasgow and in Scotland, and there are things that I want to achieve – and need to achieve – in the next three years here that I can’t wait to get stuck into.
“I just want to keep driving forward with this group. It’s a really settled group with a lot of cohesion, and I thought that’s shone through in the last couple of seasons. We’re all hungry for more, and I’m keen to do my part in bringing more silverware back to Scotstoun.
“I want to say a huge thank you, not only to the coaches and my team-mates, but also to the Warrior Nation – they’ve always believed in me ever since I arrived at Scotstoun, and I promise that I’ll keep giving my all for this club and for Scotland.”
Tuipulotu, who hails from the Melbourne suburbs and played Super Rugby for the Rebels, has been an outstanding success since arriving at Glasgow three years ago after a spell in Japan with Shizuoka Blue Revs.
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He made his Scotland debut against Tonga in the autumn of 2021 and has won 28 caps to date, becoming an increasingly influential figure in the national set-up and a key cog in a midfield axis with centre partner Huw Jones and fly-half Finn Russell.
After acting as a vice-captain on occasion last season, he was twice a co-captain – against USA and Chile – on the summer tour of the Americas before Scotland head coach Townsend asked him to be skipper for the current Autumn Nations Series.
His first game in sole charge last Saturday brought a 57-17 victory over Fiji, with world champions South Africa Scotland’s next opponents on Sunday.
With Tuipulotu continuing to play his rugby in Glasgow, his workload between club and country can be better managed, whereas exiles such as Russell and Blair Kinghorn are sometimes forced to miss Scotland training or have to return to play for their clubs in ‘bye’ weekends during the Six Nations.
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Tuipulotu, who can play inside or outside centre, qualifies for Scotland via a Greenock-born grandmother, Jaqueline Thomson, who gets up to watch his matches in the middle of the night in Australia. His mother, Angelina, has flown over for the whole of November to support her son during the autumn programme.
Younger brother Mosese, who joined Edinburgh in the summer, received his first call-up to Scotland’s training squad for this month’s Tests, but has yet to make his debut.
Tuipulotu senior also played a crucial role in helping Glasgow win the United Rugby Championship title last season and has started this season in superlative form, winning Player of the Match awards in away victories over Cardiff and Stormers. He has played 60 games in all for Warriors, scoring eight tries.
The powerful centre has also been touted as a strong candidate to be included in Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad for next summer’s tour of Australia.
Tuipulotu acknowledged recently in a BBC interview he “would love to have an opportunity to go over there and play them, with a bit of unfinished business,” having left his birth country “a little bit angry” earlier in his career due to a lack of opportunities.
Warriors head coach Franco Smith recently expressed his hope that the esteem in which Tuipulotu is held in Glasgow would be a decisive factor in him staying at Scotstoun. Tuipulotu and partner Lara also had their first child, Tu’uhefohe Junior – or TJ for short – in the summer.
“Sione is someone who has played an integral role in the journey that this club continues to be on, and someone whose passion for this club and this city shines through every time he takes to the field,” Smith said.
“He has grown into an important leader for us and for Scotland, and routinely drives standards across all elements of our squad.
“He is someone who is fully bought into what we are building at Scotstoun, and we look forward to continuing to work together over the coming seasons.”
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