'It's tough': Longtime teamie backs Taniela Tupou after Wallabies rebuff

Long-time teammate Fraser McReight hopes Taniela Tupou flourishes on his French sojourn after the enigmatic prop had a Wallabies reality check.

Tupou on Monday was released from the Wallabies camp to instead join the NSW Waratahs ahead of the Super Rugby club’s Saturday clash with the British & Irish Lions.

It was a revealing play by coach Joe Schmidt before Australia’s Test against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday and ahead of Tupou’s club move to France next season.

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The NSW Waratahs will benefit from the 58-Test prop’s presence in Sydney, the second Lions fixture of the week following their clash with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.

And, even if he has slid down the Wallabies’ pecking order, it will give Tupou a chance to shine before Schmidt names his squad to face the Lions in a three-Test series starting in Brisbane on July 19.

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“It’s great for the Tahs, good for Australian rugby and the Lions are going to have a handful dealing with him,” McReight said.

“I can’t wait to watch him. He’s a great player, he’s coming together, honing what he needs to do.

“I have no doubt he’ll come back firing and ready to go.”

McReight played alongside Tupou at the Reds, where he emerged as a teen sensation and became one of the world’s most explosive and talented props.

Rugby Australia fought hard to keep him on the books, with Tupou eventually signing with the Melbourne Rebels then moving to the Waratahs for this season after the Victorian club folded.

Tupou is reportedly set to sign with Racing 92, where outspoken president Jacky Lorenzetti has never shied away from criticism of his big-money recruits.

But McReight hopes Tupou, 29, will benefit from the experience even if the foreign posting leaves him on the Test outer.

“It’s a tough one, right? You have a lot of young tightheads coming through and he’s been one of the best tightheads in the world,” he said.

“It’s tricky, but hopefully he goes over and gains some new experiences and perspective.

“It leaves the door open for some new talent to come through and hopefully Nella comes back a better person, better player.”

Tupou isn’t the only one holding out hope for a Wallabies call-up, with recent Super Rugby Pacific champion James O’Connor spotted training at Ballymore in Brisbane on Monday.

The veteran playmaker enjoyed a one-season cameo with the Crusaders, with his bench form enough to put him back into the Wallabies conversation before he was overlooked by Schmidt in the wider squad.

O’Connor, 35 next week, will join the Leicester Tigers next season.