Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt wants Taniela Tupou to send a reminder about what he can bring to the Test arena when the powerhouse prop squares off against the Lions.
Tupou was demoted from the Wallabies line-up to face Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday and will instead turn out for his NSW Waratahs against the British and Irish tourists at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Schmidt hasn’t closed the book on Tupou winning selection for the Wallabies’ opening Test against the Lions in Brisbane on July 19 but said he needs to see more from the 29-year-old, who was in patchy form this Super Rugby Pacific season.
“With Taniela, I’d love to see him just be really, really strong at set-piece,” Schmidt said from Newcastle.
“I think the set-piece is somewhere that can be a real strength for him and I felt in the Super Rugby, toward the end, he had some pretty good performances, particularly in the scrum, and then just making sure he’s contributing around the field as best he can.”
Schmidt said that the best form of Tupou’s 58-Test career wasn’t that long ago, and urged the France-bound prop to revisit his last international appearance, against Ireland in December.
“The last game he played for us was against Ireland and he made a 50-metre dash up the field at one stage and he was very strong in the scrum.
“And so we haven’t forgotten that and I’m hoping, and I’ve spoken to “Nella”, that he hasn’t forgotten it either.
“He knows he’s capable and we just want to see him demonstrate that capability.”
The Waratahs mark the third tour match for the Lions, who have had commanding victories over the Western Force and Queensland Reds.
Andy Farrell’s men have been particularly dominant in the second half, outscoring the two Australian sides 64-0.
Schmidt said the tourists hadn’t been at their best in those victories, which demonstrated their massive depth.
“They’ve been pretty impressive,” Schmidt said.
“I think in the two games in the first 20 minutes they haven’t really started that well … they’ve actually missed a few opportunities and the more cohesion they develop, the more they’ll be dangerous in finishing some of those opportunities.
“They’ve got incredible strength and depth so as we see them play the Waratahs they’ll develop those combinations and that will be what we’ll be tracking beyond this Fiji game.”
