5 h. ago Sione Tuipulotu: ‘It’s crazy that the Lions can close out the series in my hometown’

Interview: After setting the Lions on their way to first Test victory, Tuipulotu will enjoy an emotional homecoming in a week full of meaning for the Melbourne-born centre

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7 h. ago Tuipulotu believes ‘stars have aligned’ for him as Lions arrive in Melbourne

The Scotland centre has the opportunity to seal a series win against Australia with victory in the second Test in the city where he was bornSione Tuipulotu has to raise his game this week. By his own admission he has not been up to scratch. He has been surprised by just how off the pace he has been, but he is confident he will deliver in the buildup to the second Test between the British & Irish Lions and Australia.Tuipulotu is, of course, referring to his role as the Lions’ tour guide, having grown up in Australia, as Andy Farrell’s players arrive in his home city of Melbourne hoping to wrap up the series. “I haven’t actually been that good at it,” he says. “It’s surprising, I don’t actually know that much about Australia having lived here that long. I know a bit about Melbourne so I’ll point the boys to some good spots.” Continue reading...

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8 h. ago Sione Tuipulotu opens up on Australia rejection, debt to Scottish rugby and rooming with Finn Russell

Glasgow centre fuelled by ‘chip on shoulder’ as he returns to Melbourne

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9 h. ago Sione Tuipulotu fuelled by ‘chip on shoulder’ as he returns to Melbourne

Tuipulotu has touched down in the city where he was born and raised.

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67 h. ago Finn Russell’s redemption at the heart of different Scottish Lions story

An all-Scottish midfield will be fielded for the first time in a Lions Test, with Russell taking ownership of the No 10 shirt

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3 d. ago ‘Make it happen when it matters’ – Andy Farrell urges Lions to embrace pressure

Powerful Lions side named to face Australia in first TestTom Curry starts in back row, no Welsh player in 23Andy Farrell has urged his British & Irish Lions players to embrace the pressure of their billing as heavy favourites to beat Australia in the series opener on Saturday.The Lions will go into Saturday’s match as odds-on favourites after Farrell named a powerful side featuring Tom Curry at openside flanker and Sione Tuipulotu at inside-centre to face a Wallabies team missing Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Lions team vs Australia: Tom Curry and Sione Tuipulotu picked to start First Test as Owen Farrell misses out

All-Scottish centre partnership outside Finn Russell as Bundee Aki and Marcus Smith named on bench

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3 d. ago Marcus Smith defies odds to claim Lions spot for first Wallabies Test

Andy Farrell opts for Smith’s versatility over son Owen Tom Curry to start in back-row with Beirne and ConanMarcus Smith has been named on the bench for the British & Irish Lions’ first Test against Australia with Tom Curry and Sione Tuipulotu selected to start in Brisbane on Saturday.Smith has defied the odds to claim a place in the match-day 23, benefiting from injuries to Blair Kinghorn and Mack Hansen and preferred to Owen Farrell among the replacements. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The British & Irish Lions' Test back line will have a heavily Scottish feel

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The centre pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones was the biggest positive of the British & Irish Lions' latest victory.

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3 w. ago Australian rugby’s incendiary attitude towards nationality needs extinguishing | Robert Kitson

Wallabies’ great pleasure in focusing on where a Lions player was born is an inflammatory device masked as banterSo there we were in the bowels of Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday night. The post-game media mixed zone is not always the natural home of relaxed, honest repartee, but Sione Tuipulotu is a friendly guy and the British & Irish Lions had just won their opening tour game in Australia. It was a chance for a couple of ritual enquiries and a spot of gentle breeze-shooting.It was good to see Tuipulotu smiling aside from anything else. He’d missed the entire Six Nations through injury, initially putting his tour participation in doubt. It must have been a particularly tough period given he was Scotland’s captain back in the autumn and also grew up in Melbourne. To say he fancied going on this trip would be an understatement. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Don’t know how funny that gag is – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie’ dig

Western Force’s stadium announcer introduced the British and Irish Lions’ four southern hemisphere-raised players by the countries of their birth.

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last month Australia coach Joe Schmidt takes sly dig at Lions with ‘southern hemisphere’ centres comment

Andy Farrell has paired Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu in midfield for his side’s opening tour fixture against Argentina

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