Wallaby Carlo Tizzano details his YouTube plans, mocking of Lions rival and schoolboy plan years before Uber Eats

Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano has opened up about his mocking of a Lions rival, his growing YouTube presence and revealed he came up with the concept for Uber Eats as a school project.

Most missed it, but the gesture was unmistakeable.

When Carlo Tizzano crossed for a try against the Waratahs last weekend, he put two fingers to his neck.

He was mocking British & Irish Lions rival Henry Pollock, who uses the gesture to suggest checking his pulse after scoring tries for his club Northampton Saints.

“It’s like sending a little bit of a message, I respect the hell out of him, but I’m keen to play him that’s for sure,” Tizzano revealed.

Western Force flanker Carlo Tizzano mocks England rival Henry Pollock's fingers to the neck try-scoring celebration. Picture: Supplied

England backrower Henry Pollock does his pulse-checking try celebration while playing for Northampton. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images

The Wallabies and Western Force flanker then watched Bordeaux players do the same thing after celebrating their 28-20 European Champions Cup final victory over Pollock’s Saints hours later.

“They copied me, our game was before theirs,” Tizzano said.

Bordeaux backrower Tevita Tatafu mocks Henry Pollock's try-scoring celebration after the French club defeated Northampton in the European Rugby Champions Cup final. Picture: Supplied

“I remember watching some of the highlights from the Northampton Leinster game and saw him do that celebration, I thought it was pretty cool.

“And obviously, when he got selected for the Lions, regardless if I’m playing for Wallabies or the Force, hopefully he’ll be playing and I get to play him.

“I just think creating a narrative is really, really important. When we come to games like this, there’s nothing against Pollock at all, I love what he’s doing, but it’s still pretty cool to create a bit of a narrative that might get people more interested in our games. More bums on seats means more revenue, and then that’s better for the game.”

This is the broad thinking that separates Tizzano from the pack.

The 25-year-old has become the first Wallabies player to start his own YouTube channel, documenting daily life as a professional rugby player.

“There’s not enough of it in the game at the moment,” Tizzano said.

“There aren’t players providing insight into our lives behind the scenes, and all that type of stuff, it’s so important. As rugby players, I actually think we’re a little bit entitled in a way, so we get to be a professional rugby player, and then from there, once we’re done, we don’t really have to do anything in terms of growing the game.

“We’ve got to be leaving the game in a better place than how we found it, and one way we do that is by trying to get more bulbs and seeds, and providing more insight.

“I reply to as many comments as I can on my YouTube, or in Instagram DMs, I try to reply to all the kids that are messaging me, asking me for help, because if I can help them – when I was younger, I was doing the same, I’d message someone trying to get some feedback, and if they replied to me, I’d really appreciate that.”

Tizzano is the leading try scorer in the Super Rugby Pacific. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images for Rugby Australia

Tizzano also walks the talk.

Heading into the final regular round of Super Rugby Pacific, with the Force having a bye, Tizzano is the leading try scorer (13) and top tackler (198) across the entire competition.

Rugby certainly needs characters, and Tizzano is unafraid of the limelight, nor the opportunity to give back.

“I just went to my school (Trinity College) and spoke to a couple of the guys there, just trying to help out as much as I can,” Tizzano said.

“Yeah, I’m a bit of a personality, and some people might like that behind the scenes stuff, all the other little extra bits they see me posting, sometimes they’re like, ‘Oh he’s just trying to cause attention for himself’, yeah, a little bit, but at the same time, I’m also replying to kids who are aspiring rugby players, giving away my kit to kids who are big fans, trying to help out as much as I can.

“Putting yourself out there more is just giving me a bit more confidence. If you don’t like what I’m doing, then it’s more of a you problem, not a me problem.

“I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m not hurting anyone’s feelings.”

Carlo Tizzano is the first Wallabies player with a YouTube channel. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Tizzano’s pioneering social media approach comes from an entrepreneurial mind that could have made him a billionaire in his teens.

“I’ll tell you a crazy yarn,” Tizzano said. “So this is how my brain works, and this is the ADHD dyslexia coming to play.

“When I’m in year eight, we had in commerce or business, one of our assignments was to start a business, and this was back in 2013. And my business idea was essentially Uber Eats. That’s what it literally was before it came out in Australia.

“It was called Fast Delivered Fast Food. It was the same business model and concept as Uber Eats.

“Three years later, Uber Eats came out in Australia. And I was like, f***.

“I’ve just always thought like that. I’m always trying to think outside the box and in my training as well, I’ll try and think outside the box and see how I can approach something different.

“That’s the way you always keep growing as a player. And just as a human, you’ve always got to question some of the things you do.

“And then sometimes you question and you realise, ‘That’s working really well. I’m going to double down on that’. And you double down on it. Or if something’s not really working, you’re not getting a lot of pay from it, then you try something different.

“It’s trial and error. And it’s a really good way to approach being an athlete, always try and challenge what you’re doing in a positive way, in a constructive way, then you’re always going to have improvements.”

Originally published as Wallaby Carlo Tizzano details his YouTube plans, mocking of Lions rival and schoolboy plan years before Uber Eats