Wallabies 2025

[Braveheart81]

My main issue is that he really needs to prove and to demonstrate his pay cheque

Why?

His contract is a sunk cost. Clearly he wouldn't be re-signed at the same value if he was seeking a new contract right now.

His form hasn't been great but he just needs to be in the top 3 THPs to make the squad and the top 2 to be in the matchday 23.

I think his scrummaging will have him there pretty much regardless of form and fitness around the park. I think he is still comfortably among our best scrummagers and that is why he'll be picked.

 

[Tomikin]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/04/01/exclusive-dce-to-sign-bombshell-contract-with-reds-wallabies-debut-for-bledisloe-cup-looms/

 

[Tomikin]

It was initially speculated that he would join the Sydney Roosters; however, The Roar can exclusively reveal Rugby Australia and the Queensland Reds approached the 36-year old’s management over the weekend and offered a monster five-year contract worth an estimated $1.4 million a year for him to change maroon for gold.


Holy fucking shit 1.4 a year 5 year. Deal for a 36 year old

 

[Braveheart81]

Check the date.

 

[Tomikin]

Check the date.

Well fuck lol

 

[Adam84]

i can hear the heart palpitations and grinding of teeth

 

[BDA]

ha as soon as I read that they were looking at him to play 9 I was like this has to be a joke then checked the date.

 

[dru]

Why?

I lost you here.,

 

[emuarse]

My way too early Predicted Wallabies Squad for Lions tour:
Prop
Alan Ala'alatoa
James Slipper
Angus Bell
Alex Hodgman
Taniela Tupou
Tom Robertson

Hooker
Matt Faessler
Dave Porecki
Nic Dolly/Brandon Paenga-Amosa

Lock
Lukhan Salakai-Loto
Josh Canham
Darcy Swain
Nick Frost
Jeremy Williams

Back Row
Harry Wilson
Fraser McReight
Carlo Tizzano
Rob Valetini
Rob Leota
Seru Uru


Halfback
Tate McDermott
Nic White
Jake Gordon

Flyhalf
Noah Lolesio
Tom Lynagh
Ben Donaldson

Centre
Len Ikitau
Hunter Paisami
Joseph Sua'alii

Wing/Fullback
Tom Wright
Andrew Kellaway
Max Jorgensen
Filipo Daugunu
Dylan Pietsch

Potential Bolters
Richie Asiata
Lawson Creighton
Kalani Thomas
Nick Champion de Crespigny
James O'Connor
Aidan Ross

I'd have Zane Nonggorr before Tom Robertson as a prop.
Maybe have Tom as a centre.

 

[Major Tom]

I realise my reticence at the moment to include Tupou is kind of contrarian. My main issue is that he really needs to prove and to demonstrate his pay cheque let alone WB selection. My secondary issue is that Australian rugby is actually reasonably well served with decent props in 2025 so we don't actually need to make compromised selections. I suspect that as we approach the end of the SPR season I'll be looking back to today and wondering what the issue was. Hope so.

Hmm I think we’re still a wee bit off. De Luttis is coming with a bullet but you’d still say he’s at least a year off making a debut. (Maybe give him a go against a lesser nation). The problem is, this is the lions so we need to be confident that the THP we pick can do the job otherwise it’s series over. I’d just be saying to TT your job is to dominate them at scrum time and make your tackles. Everything else is a bonus. Anyways it’s AAA, TT and ZN.

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Siosifa Amone joined the tahs and worked his ar$e off in pre season and dropped 25 kilos.

The fact Tupou can’t do the same suggests it is either a mental problem or maybe he is carrying worse injuries than everyone realises and they just manage to get him on the field week by week with not much happening in between games

 

[Strewthcobber]

Tupou listed at 148kg in today's piece at the Roar. What was his weight when he was at his best, say in SRAu GF?

 

[Wilson]

Tupou listed at 148kg in today's piece at the Roar. What was his weight when he was at his best, say in SRAu GF?

He was listed at 128kg when he re-signed with the Reds in August 2019,

Taniela Tupou signs long-term contract extension with St.George Queensland Reds

In a positive step for future success at Ballymore, the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) today announced Taniela Tupou has signed a four-year contract extension with the St.George Queensland Reds.

reds.rugby

and his wiki had him at 132kg around then (October 2019), citing his Wallabies profile:

Taniela Tupou (rugby union) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

His signing announcement with the rebels had him at 138kg:

Taniela Tupou re-signs with Australian Rugby until 2025

wallabies.rugby

So I'm guessing ideal weight is 130-135kg, maybe a bit lower. 148kg is a fair way beyond that. Obviously this varies a fair bit depending on body comp, but I don't think there's anything to suggest that extra ~15kgs is helping him to perform.

 

[Adam84]

There is an interview with them saying he was around 136-137kg in 2020 when he was playing some of his best form IMO.
There was a pre-season interview where he said he had hit 150kg after been around 143kg prior to holidays.

 

[Blue]

There is an interview with them saying he was around 136-137kg in 2020 when he was playing some of his best form IMO.
There was a pre-season interview where he said he had hit 150kg after been around 143kg prior to holidays.

And there is the problem with this guy. He never looks like he is serious about being a professional. Half the time he is injured and the rest of the time he is trying to get back to fitness. What a total waste of an incredible frame. Could have been world class. A real shame. Prediction: he will be in Japan or France before long. There seems to be that 1% mssing.

 

[Ignoto]

He never looks like he is serious about being a professional. Half the time he is injured and the rest of the time he is trying to get back to fitness.

That's grossly unfair to him.

Prior to his Achilles going pop, he was playing regularly 70+ minutes at the Reds week in week out for a couple of years.

Then he was undercooked going into the RWC and they rushed him while Eddie Jones overloading the entire team breaking both Taniela and Skelton in the middle of the campaign.

He had a poor 2024 but so did most of the Rebels.

I would imagine you would get more out of Taniela if you told him to empty the tank for 40-50 minutes and then he'll be given a break. You won't get the best out of him trying to balance his effort over 70 minutes in his career now.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Is there another 150kg pro athlete in a pretty cardio sport, with a snapped Achilles we could even compare his recovery too?

He should probably go try out for NFL too, for the "medical treatment"

 

[Major Tom]

He needs to get under 140kg. Weight has always been his “Achilles heel”.
I reckon his form will improve when he gets it there.

 

[TSR]

He needs to get under 140kg. Weight has always been his “Achilles heel”.
I reckon his form will improve when he gets it there.

I reckon his Achilles heel has actually been his Achilles heel. Whatever issues he had in off seasons past up until he injured his Achilles he was consistently one of the best Australian Super rugby players and had sone pretty outstanding moments at test level too. He’s never been able to get back to close to his best since his first injury.

 

[Major Tom]

I reckon his Achilles heel has actually been his Achilles heel. Whatever issues he had in off seasons past up until he injured his Achilles he was consistently one of the best Australian Super rugby players and had sone pretty outstanding moments at test level too. He’s never been able to get back to close to his best since his first injury.

Yeah mate that injury really took it out of him. He’s still our best scrummaging TH by a fair margin I think. But he’s gotta lose 5kg. Hopefully he can do that over the season.