Sione Tuipulotu explains why this RWC will be different for Scotland

Sione Tuipulotu is excited about leading Scotland on their “journey” towards what he hopes will be a fruitful World Cup in Australia in just under two years.

The Melbourne-born captain will be 30 when the global showpiece kicks off in his homeland in October 2027.

Scotland learned on Wednesday that they will face Ireland, Portugal and Uruguay in their pool, and Tuipulotu is intent on ensuring Gregor Townsend’s side are in the best possible shape when they head Down Under.

“It does feel strange talking about it, with it being so far away, but I suppose it’s something we have to start thinking about because that is the path that’s been laid out for us now,” said the British and Irish Lions tourist, who got his first taste of a World Cup in France two years ago.

“The whole focus now turns to the Six Nations and all the rugby that we’re going to play before that World Cup in Australia, but I think that is the journey now.

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“You go into a World Cup to show everything that you’ve learned over the last World Cup cycle. It’s right there for our group.

“There’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, and it’s up to myself and the playing group to make sure we’re in the best position to go and have our best World Cup ever in a couple of years.”

Tuipulotu believes Scotland’s World Cup prospects will be enhanced by increased exposure to Southern Hemisphere teams in the new Nations Championship.

“I think it’s something that we probably need, in terms of playing top-level opposition every single year,” said Tuipulotu. “I know we get that in the Six Nations, but I think experience against some of the Southern Hemisphere teams matters when you go to a World Cup.

“We need to be experienced against the Southern Hemisphere, because for the last two World Cups, they’ve been the teams to be successful.”

Tuipulotu is optimistic that Scotland will also benefit from a recent autumn series that left them reeling after they lost to both New Zealand and Argentina from positions of strength.

“I’m still angry,” he said. “And why shouldn’t I be angry? I care about winning for Scotland and I know the players do as well.

“My feeling coming out of those two games is that what we’re chasing is closer than what we think.

“And it’s important that we take the lessons that we needed to learn after that Argentina game specifically. And I think maybe that (collapse from 21-0 up) needed to happen for us to address what’s possibly been either holding us back or also just be realistic and accept our flaws.

“Stand there as a team, as players, as individuals and say what I did wrong as a captain or what we did wrong as a playing group for us not to get those results. And I felt like we did that in the last week and looked at each other honestly. We can’t prove that that’s solved anything until we get to the Six Nations.

“But we’ve got to go show everyone that we have – not necessarily that we have learned, but that we have grown.”