The grandson of a Scot and an Italian. The son of a Tongan and an Australian.
A native of Melbourne who spent some of his formative years playing in Japan.
It is perhaps no surprise that Sione Tuipulotu once described himself as a ‘fruit salad’ when it comes to his family tree and his journey in professional rugby.
Now, on what will be the proudest day of his career, he will captain Scotland for the first time when they take on Fiji at Murrayfield this afternoon in the first of four Autumn Tests.
The first player of Polynesian heritage ever to captain Scotland, it feels fitting that Tuipulotu should mark the occasion against a team from the Pacific Islands.
Sione Tuipulotu can’t wait to lead Scotland out at Murrayfield for the first time
But this is just the latest landmark for a player who is rapidly becoming one of the best signings in the history of Scottish rugby.
Tuipulotu arrived at Glasgow Warriors to little fanfare back in 2021.
Still in the depths of Covid and lockdown, he almost jumped on a flight back to Australia.
‘I do look back at when I first came over and I actually did two weeks quarantine because it was in the Covid times,’ he explained yesterday. ‘When I popped out, one of the boys got Covid.
The 27-year-old qualifies qualifies for Scotland through his Scottish grandmother
He is set to earn his 27th cap for his country in this weekend’s Test match against Fiji
‘So I ended up doing four weeks in a hotel before I did any training. I remember there were some pretty dark days. I was thinking about going home, to be honest, because it was getting a bit tough.
‘But I’m so glad that I made the move to come over. I put my heart and soul into my journey here and I’ve worked really hard to get to this point.
‘I don’t want to come across like I had it all figured out. Because for a long couple of years, I didn’t. I remember being in Melbourne, not getting an opportunity there and being really frustrated.
‘Then going to Japan, maybe finding my love for the game a little bit more. And then coming over here.
‘It’s never that I’ve had it all worked out. But more that always in the back of my mind, I had a vision for myself and I believed in my talent. I’ve had that belief since I was a little kid.
‘I think in professional sport, you get lucky sometimes and you land in the lap of coaches that have that same vision that you do for yourself.
‘So yeah, I put it down to those two things. It’s a vision for myself and coaches who believe in me.’
Tuipulotu was selected in this year’s Six Nations Team of the Championship
With his brother Mosese now also part of the Scotland squad, this will be a proud day for the entire Tuipulotu clan, as well as the cultural significance for Scotland to have a first captain of Polynesian heritage.
Tuipulotu qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother from Greenock. His mum will also be in attendance today to take in her first match at Murrayfield.
‘It’s quite funny that on our family group chat, my sister’s been screenshotting it,’ he smiled. ‘I think my grandma’s finally figured out how to use social media and she started replying to some of the fans online!
‘I think some of the fans are saying: “Thank you to Granny from Greenock”, and she’s replying: “Yeah, no worries”.
‘Stuff like that, which is hilarious because it was on Facebook she doesn’t even have a Facebook profile picture, just a blank face!
‘But yeah, she’s stoked and she’ll be up early in the morning watching our games and yeah, I’m really happy for her that she gets to see me captain but also my brother in the squad as well.’
Tuipulotu’s brother and team-mate Mosese pictured with the duo’s ‘Greenock Granny’
Tuipulotu was instrumental for Glasgow Warriors last season as they defied the odds to win the United Rugby Championship.
He was also named in the Six Nations team of the Championship last year after some outstanding displays for Scotland.
On current form, he’s one of the most red-hot players in world rugby. When the British and Irish Lions face the Wallabies in Australia next summer, most people expect Tuipulotu to start at centre.
What a way that would be to mark his return Down Under. Forcing their way into Lions reckoning will now be the objective for many within this Scotland squad.
As a new international season starts this afternoon, this is the start of the road as they seek to build on the eight who went on the last Lions tour to South Africa three years ago in 2021.
Scotland had a good Six Nations building up to that tour.
They won three games, beating England at Twickenham and France in Paris, as well as running Ireland extremely close at Murrayfield.
Over these next few months, they will need a few more statement victories of that ilk if they are to force their way into Andy Farrell’s thinking.
Like Warren Gatland before him and his Welsh leanings, the expectation is that Farrell will tool-up with a squad dominated by Ireland players.
Scotland players will need to elevate themselves to a level where they simply cannot be ignorde and, in that regard, Tuipulotu is probably top of the pile right now.
Boss Gregor Townsend is hoping to kick off their Autumn International Series with a win
Whilst not wishing to look too far ahead, he admitted that he simply wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t targeting a place on the Lions tour next summer.
‘In terms of expectations and stuff like that, I don’t carry any of that baggage with me when I play rugby,’ he said. ‘Obviously if you’re playing and you’re eligible for that team, it is always going to be a goal of yours. If it’s not, I’m not too sure why you’re playing Test rugby.
‘That’s obvious and I haven’t shied away from that question. But I don’t carry the expectation. It’s such a long season, a lot can happen between now and then.
‘It’s not anywhere near the forefront of my mind at the moment. The forefront of my mind is trying to perform the best I can, and like I said, I’m desperate to win in the next four games more than anything.’
Gregor Townsend has selected a strong team, despite the fact he’s limited almost entirely to Glasgow and Edinburgh players due to the match falling outside the official Test window.
Given that Fiji are without most of their star names, the expectation is that Scotland will win with a bit to spare.
Keep an eye out on what happens prior to kick-off as the Scotland players link arms to face the ‘Cibi’ pre-match war dance from the Fijians.
With family links from that part of the world in Tonga, Tuipulotu spoke well yesterday about the need to show respect to their opponents.
Fiji’s Mesulame Dolokoto is put through his paces ahead of today’s clash at Murrayfield
Where Joe Marler claimed that the All Blacks’ Haka should be ‘binned’ earlier this week, Tuipulotu, whilst being diplomatic enough not to mention Marler by name, clearly felt that was disrespectful.
He will do his talking on the pitch for a Scotland team who should score plenty of tries this afternoon prior to a much stiffer test against world champions South Africa next week.
The captaincy can be a burden for some players and that’s been the case for some in the Scotland camp over these past few years as Townsend has flip-flopped all too frequently.
But Tuipulotu sounds like he will genuinely embrace it and views it as the ultimate honour. For so many reasons, this promises to be a day he and his family won’t forget.
