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The Chiefs' new midfield wrecking ball that could take them to the next level

By Tom Vinicombe
The Chiefs' new midfield recruit, Quinn Tupaea. (Photos by Getty Images)

When Quinn Tupaea debuted for Waikato during the 2018 season, it was hard not to be impressed.

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The former Hamilton Boys’ High Student dotted down for seven tries throughout Waikato’s campaign and played a major role in their Championship run.

Come the announcement of the 2019 Super Rugby squads, Tupaea’s name was one of the biggest omissions – but Tupaea himself wasn’t concerned.

It would have been entirely reasonable for the then-19-year-old to be frustrated with a lack of selection, given his exceptional form in the Mitre 10 Cup, but there was still plenty to look forward to.

“I didn’t read much into it, but talking to my agent and talking to my family, it was a good idea just to be patient,” Tupaea told RugbyPass.

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“The Chiefs offered me a contract for the season after (2020), so I was pretty happy with that. I had something locked up.”

It also meant the midfielder wasn’t playing for a contract during last year’s Mitre 10 Cup season.

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“No one really knew about it – just me and my family – but that took a lot of pressure off me.”

2019 wasn’t quite as successful for Waikato, with the side struggling after being promoted into the Premiership division of the competition. Tupaea managed another seven tries to his name, however, and will enter his first season of Super Rugby in solid form.

Tupaea’s 14 tries over two seasons showcased his wide-ranging skills: pace, power, hunger.

Despite the young midfielder’s obvious potential, it won’t be an easy feat squeezing his way into the Chiefs midfield.

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Last year, Anton Lienert-Brown, Tumua Manu, Alex Nankivell and Orbyn Leger all started matches in the centres. Bailyn Sullivan and Sean Wainui, who were both employed mainly in the outside backs, are both capable in the midfield too.

That means Tupaea is fighting with six other players for game time.

Adding to the struggle is the general positional flexibility of the players he’s competing with.

“All of our midfielders can pretty much cover both positions,” said Tupaea.

“I’ll pretty much just slot in wherever I can. If I get the chance to play in the midfield, that’d be awesome. Midfield is my position, but I can cover wing if I have to.”

Like his fellow centres, Tupaea isn’t bothered if he starts at 12 or 13.

“I played 12 during school so it’s a familiar position for me. At Waikato we have (centurion) Dwayne Sweeney, he was pretty good at 12 so 13 just became my position.”

At just under 100kg and a little over 6 feet tall, Tupaea has plenty of bulk to his frame and could form a respectable combination with All Black Lienert-Brown, who was one of New Zealand’s and the Chiefs’ best performers throughout the 2019 season.

Tupaea has yet to partner up with Lienert-Brown in a match, with the All Black absent from the Waikato side for the past two years due to international commitments.

In the one pre-season game Tupaea played for the Chiefs in 2019, under an interim training contract, Lienert-Brown was also unavailable due to the mandatory stand-down for national representatives.

It will be a similar story for the 2020 season, with Lienert-Brown likely to accrue fewer minutes than some of his teammates.

All Blacks will be restricted to 40 minutes in their first game of the season, then 60 minutes and 80 minutes by their third match. They will also have to sit out two further fixtures.

Lienert-Brown’s absence will open the door somewhat for Tupaea – but that still leaves the many other competitors.

Manu was a dependable 12 for the Chiefs in his debut season last year while Nankivell has quietly stepped up game after game.

It wouldn’t be a major surprise if new coach Warren Gatland partnered those two up early in the season.

Gatland’s addition will have a major impact on the Chiefs’ season, with the former Wales and Waikato coach already making his presence known.

“Warren’s been awesome,” said Tupaea. “Our trainings are a lot shorter, so we’re training for about fifty minutes to an hour max.

“Everything’s a lot more intense – running a lot, doing a lot of contact because our first pre-season game is coming up pretty soon.

“So, we’re just getting some exposure to contact and getting a good fitness level under our belt early so we can play some expansive rugby during the season.”

The Chiefs’ attack hummed along last year but the defence went through a number of hiccups. Assistant coach Tabai Matson will again take charge of the defence.

“Warren does have a bit to say about it but Tabs is running our defence. It’s sort of similar to last year: line speed is key.”

What then are Tupaea’s goals heading into his first year as a full-time rugby professional?

“I think every young New Zealander who plays rugby has the goal to be an All Black.

“But I also always wanted to play for Waikato and the Chiefs. I’ve got one of those goals ticked off – so I’m hopefully looking to debut for the Chiefs.

“I just want to learn off guys that we have here already. But hopefully, if I get the opportunity to debut, that’d be awesome.”

WATCH: Despite a change in head coach, assistant Tabai Matson is back with the Chiefs for the 2020 season.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

40 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

40 Go to comments
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