Waratahs 2025

[HogansHeros]

Well thats an improvement on last season. Its great to see the Tahs playing for the full 80

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Tupou needs some slack. QLD played him into the ground in 2021 and 2022. He did a calf then came back moved to Melbourne who gave him free rein, he got flogged into shape by the Wallabies and blew out his achilles. It is hard to have confidence in your body after all of that.

 

[Derpus]

I dunno what he needs but in my view having him in the team currently is fine. He's a bit of a liability around the park but he more than makes up for it in scrum power. At Super Rugby level I think that's good enough.

Not sure about the Wallabies though.

 

[dru]

Tupou was responsible for at least one scrum penalty in his last Super game. If he is relying on his scrum performance to justify his starting position he needs to achieve more than that.

 

[Derpus]

Our scrum has seemed dominant over the first three games of the year (though I am notably not well versed in these things). Surely he gets some credit for that?

 

[fatprop]

Tupou appears to be managing his time, getting through his 50'ish minutes

It looks to me a cross between game management and the reality of being a real THP with the added "challenges" of injuries that have limited cardio

 

[JRugby2]

Did we play him into the ground or just demand him reach his potential and justify his marquee status and salary.

He seems to have gone backwards since he was a 75-80 minute player at the Reds, and he's now more injury prone than he ever was in QLD.

 

[dru]

Our scrum has seemed dominant over the first three games of the year (though I am notably not well versed in these things). Surely he gets some credit for that?

Yes of course, I'm not so sure it is that clear though, but yes. Tupou should gain the kudos from 2 solid scrum games v 1 that wasn't really.

 

[Major Tom]

Thorn smashed him. He had no faith in Nonggorr and the other THP on the roster. The problem now is because of his genetics we just expect way too much from him. We want him to dominate scrum time but also dent the line constantly as well as clear rucks etc. His job is at scrum time, and he still does that better than any other Aus prop.

 

[JRugby2]

And consequently he was as good as he's ever been.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Just seeing mean reversion here.

Tupou was unique in world rugby, as a THP, he had a high number of games each season, with a high number of minutes each game, doing his job at the scrum, with high impact and a high workload (especially when carrying)

There has literally never been another player in the game who could do this. And as we've seen lately, even Tupou couldn't do it over a long term.

 

[upthereds#!]

Just wondering where this Tupou replacement is coming from for the Wallabies - Deluttis, Nonggoor, Robertson? Not even close.

Keep searching, keep digging, but can't afford to toss him. One THP in Aus can stand toe to toe with the giants of world rugby no.1s with confidence in the scrum...- and it's him.

 

[Strewthcobber]

And this is why it's worth limiting his minutes, and reducing expectations as to his impact around the field.

 

[Derpus]

I always thought Kyle Sinckler was a very similar player. Not quite as big and not as many minutes (i assume), though.

 

[HogansHeros]

Yeah I did think it was madness when the reds were trying to get 80 minutes out of him. I always thought he was way better suited to just come on for the final 30 and wreak havoc... just because a player is great doesnt mean they will be great for 80. Unfortunately as said above we still dont have a THP for him to compete with for that starting spot.

Its probably not the worst thing for him to be taking it a bit easy at this point of the season (if thats what he is doing) and make sure he is injury free, as there are a lot of games ahead, for the Tahs but more importantly for the Wobs, needs to be fit for Lions and RC.

 

[barbarian]

It's the errors that get me. He's good for one knock on, one lazy penalty and one maddening attempted flick pass/double cutout/chip and chase per game. His handling and skills were revelatory five years ago, but it feels like a bit at this point. The juice isn't worth the squeeze, I just wish he'd hold onto the ball and put his head down like every Waratah prop has done for the last 100 years with the notable exception of Matt Dunning.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

If a guy like Nonggoor can keep developing he becomes a starting option for the Wallabies it opens up the potential for TT to come on for the last 30 and be a genuine impact player around the time Bell will fade and come off. TT may be better than him but in terms of impact on a game I could see it being an option.

I think we are searching for negatives and if he's still keen and a world class player he will react from some down performances and want to put in. I'll back him to do it.

 

[Major Tom]

Nobody comes under more scrutiny at prop than Tupou. People just need to chill out and realise that he's being marked way too highly.
In saying that, Nonggoor would want to develop fast because De Luttis is coming with a bullet!

 

[Tomthumb]

How is expecting the highest paid and most recognized tight head in the country to play like it being marked way too highly?

 

[Wilson]

I think the big question for/around Tupou is how much he's worth for the next contract - his current one has him payed like a player who is taking the field week in week out for 60+ minutes and swaying games. He's no where near that value now, and it's hard to argue he should be payed even as much as players like Bell, Valetini, Wright or McReight on the next deal - particularly if he's a 30 minute impact player going forward.

That's where a lot of the scrutiny is right now, and I expect it's happening as much if not more behind the scenes. That does leave the tahs in a bit of sticky situation with him - if they can't get him demonstrating top level, week to week form they won't have a chance of RA stumping up the money to keep him.