Analysis: How the Reds need to use the Tongan Thor
When the 18-year-old Sacred Heart College prop went viral in 2014, it was the sheer fascination of a 130kg front rower tearing a team apart returning kicks that captured everyone’s imagination.
Taniela Tupou was such a unique prospect. He has the speed of an outside back and the power of two loose forwards. However, his first full season of Super Rugby in 2017 didn’t bear much fruit. Understandably, it has taken time for Tupou to develop into a Super Rugby level prop, which has impatient fans writing him off too soon.
Going to the Reds, one of the worst teams in Super Rugby also didn’t help. Last year they did not use him the way he needs to be used. The more situations in which he can wind up amplifies the amount of damage he can cause.
The Reds under Brad Thorn this year have shown a willingness to open up the playbook and find more ways to unleash the power of Thor. Here’s what they have done and how they can unlock Tupou’s potential.
Set-piece
One of the areas where Tupou has been underutilised as a ball-carrying option is the set piece.
As he is tied up with scrummaging duties every time they pack down, the lineout is the only scenario where he can be used in this capacity. Just using him as a lifter like a regular prop misses an opportunity to get the ball in his hands.
The Reds have used a number of 4-man and 5-man lineout packages to allow Tupou to be placed in the back line. Their typical setup is three ball carriers outside 10 for a midfield crash.
Here the Reds have Tupou as the second running option outside 10, and below as the first running option. They run a 1-2 cut as if Tupou was playing inside centre.
The preference for the Reds has been to use the attention Tupou receives to work other players into the game.
A common tactic when Tupou is set as the second option is to run a screen pass behind him to the free Caleb Timu (6) wrapping out the back. This, unfortunately, results in fewer carries for him, and the pass is often delivered too early to be effective for Timu.
In other situations, we see Tupou start wider and become part of the second phase after the crash ball. Below, Kerevi (12) takes the hit-up.
Tupou often goes unused as a decoy or simply not the preferred carrier on the second phase. On this occasion above he ends up cleaning for Timu (6).
The Reds have started to show more intent by involving Tupou off the lineout but prefer to use him as a decoy. The majority of lineout plays for the Reds set a midfield ruck, with either one of the forward carriers or Kerevi. There has been no desire to use Tupou wider directly off the lineout or find more complex ways to create space for him.
The team seems committed to one-dimensional crash plays to reset pattern or look to run little switch plays from. This is an area of the game that the Reds will hopefully continue to open up and look to integrate Tupou to maximise his ball-carrying opportunities.
Phase Play
Thorn’s 1-3-3-1 system is not a well-tuned machine yet. A number of the young and experienced forwards find themselves over-committing to rucks leaving the team short after a few phases. The pattern falls apart fairly quickly, stalling the Reds attack.
Here there are at least four Reds players at the ruck with no Brumbies contesting. The Reds first phase looks fine but the setup for the next is shaky. Tupou the edge forward will have to move in. This is a common occurrence when reviewing Reds phase play.
When they do fall into the pattern, Tupou finds himself often looking for a tip pass running off the lead runner, which tends to be withheld by the ball carrier.
Edge havoc
The flashes of ‘Thor’ we have seen from Tupou this season is when the Reds get the pattern right and he is afforded space on the edge as the one forward positioned out there.
He has been damaging down the tramlines often committing multiple defenders and freeing up his outside support.
The full Thor experience
For Tupou to become the attacking superpower he could be the Reds have to generate decent ball to him on the flanks, maximise and his lineout carries and consider one crazy (good kinda crazy) option – releasing Tupou on counter-attack.
It’s where he has made such an impact at all levels or rugby so far but has yet to be seen in Super Rugby. A number of teams sometimes use their Number 8 in some capacity in this role, so it’s not so farfetched to put Tupou in these situations.
Holding Tupou back in situations where the opposition is in exit mode and using quick lineouts to release him will put fear in the hearts of every winger on kick coverage duties. Tupou averages the second most tackle breaks of any prop, third most line breaks, but only carries five times a game (10th for all props).
If they can increase that to 10-12 carries a game (in the right situations) they will have the most damaging forward in Super Rugby.
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
55 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
55 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
55 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
55 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
55 Go to comments