‘Tongan Thor’ Taniela Tupou on his Australian rugby exit, Euro move and mental health battles

Taniela Tupou never wanted to leave Australia. But, as he nears a $1m European move, the powerhouse Wallaby opens up on mental health battles and why he didn’t have a choice but to escape.

Taniela Tupou still knows how to crack a joke. The Australia tight-head prop sought out Owen Farrell for a chat about Racing 92 after playing his last game for NSW Waratahs on Saturday.

“I asked him if he had left all the money at Racing for me,” Tupou says.

It was the only time during a conversation that Tupou laughed, or even broke into a broad smile that used to be a trademark feature.

The 29-year-old has lost his mojo and does not expect to be involved with the Wallabies in the Test series against the Lions.

Tupou did not want to leave Australia, his adopted country.

QUADE COOPER: How rugby can save Tupou from my mistakes

Taniela Tupou is leaving Australian rugby for Racing 92 later this year. Picture: Getty

But his lack of form over the past two years, entwined with a collapse in confidence and a rise in anxiety that has led to him booking regular sessions with a psychologist, meant that Rugby Australia did not table a contract offer. He does not blame them either.

“I’m at peace with it,” Tupou says. “I understand what they’re doing. It’s like if I’m paying you to work for me and you’re not working for me, why am I keeping you? And that’s exactly what happened to me last year and this year, I wasn’t performing.

“It’s only fair that they look for someone else who can do the job because at the moment I can’t do it. At the end of the day, it’s business. Sometimes you’ve just got to look out for your family and that’s what I’m doing.”

Forced to move abroad, albeit on a salary expected to be north of 500,000 pounds ($1m AUD) a year, Tupou has to hope that a fresh start in a challenging new environment, and playing in a league that relishes a scrum battle, will help him rediscover the powers that first earned him the nickname “Tongan Thor”.

Right now, this 152kg prop, with a global reputation for dynamic carrying and some dominant scrummaging, appears fragile, vulnerable.

Tupou shakes hands with Tadgh Furlong, left, of the British & Irish Lions after their match against the Waratahs. Picture: AP

He was sad that the Lions raced out of the stadium on Saturday before he had a chance to swap jerseys with Finlay Bealham, his opposing tight head. The clinical nature of this tour meant that tale, unfortunately, came as no surprise.

“[When rugby is joyful] you see a different man,” he says. “You see happiness, you see smiling, you see joking around. There would be no point in me doing that now because I would be faking it.

“I am speaking to a psychologist and getting help. I realised there was no way I could deal with this myself and try to hide it. It was showing with my performances. So I reached out for help and I am talking to people at the moment.

“We are getting there. There is still a lot of work to do before that smile is back. Hopefully it will be one day soon. It has been tough. There is expectation to perform. There is pressure. When I don’t do it, then there is more pressure. I let that get to me. It is frustrating.”

Owen Farrell (C) wasn’t a noted success in his big-money move to Racing. Picture: Getty

You do worry about whether Racing is the best destination for Tupou. Big name, big-money signings rarely last at the Paris glamour club; Farrell being the latest.

“Racing is a big move for me. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to leave [Australia], that’s the honest truth. Australia is all I know. I wanted to give everything for Australia. But I think it is time for me to go and try something different,” he says.

“I pray that it brings the best out in me. It will be a real challenge. I know how tough the Top 14 is. It is something I am looking forward to. I spoke to their coach [Patrice Collazo] who used to be a tight-head prop. That helps. He will look after me for sure. A tight head is a tight head.”

Tupou was released from Australia’s training squad to play for the Waratahs, thereby missing the Test match against Fiji on Sunday. Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies head coach, sent him a simple message before Saturday’s game: Go out there and have fun.

“That’s what I need to hear,” Tupou says. “I did not go out there thinking, ‘I have to do this, or I have to do that’.”

But he was not in the right headspace. Tupou conceded four scrum penalties in the first half, some of which appeared harsh.

Taniela Tupou is off to play rugby in Paris – but bears no ill will towards Australian rugby. Picture: Getty

Dan McKellar, the Waratahs head coach who was previously in charge of Leicester Tigers, believes that is simply down to perception, arguing that a prop with Tupou’s profile is watched more intently by referees.

“I forgot. This isn’t Super Rugby,” Tupou says. “This was a Test match. Coming into this game maybe I wasn’t mentally prepared for how I would be in a Test match. I have played against these guys. I knew exactly what was coming. I tried to solve the problem myself, but it didn’t work.”

Tupou is not holding his breath, but it would clearly mean a great deal to him if he could sign off by playing for the Wallabies against the Lions and, in a dream scenario, win the series.

“I know what Taniela can do. The challenge is, can I get out there and do it for Australia?” Tupou says.

“I’m not in the [Australia] team at the moment so I’m not sure what the go is. It would mean the world to me to be able to give back to a country that has done so much for me to be able to help win the series.”

This story originally appeared in the Times and has been republished with permission.

Originally published as ‘Tongan Thor’ Taniela Tupou on his Australian rugby exit, Euro move and mental health battles