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Three years ago Taniela Tupou half-jokingly said, “show me the money”. Rugby Australia did, but halfway through the 2025 Super Rugby season, the Tongan Thor fears being dropped for the Lions after a crisis of confidence, which has left him questioning whether the 58-Test Wallaby can play rugby.
“My focus now is just trying to play well for the Waratahs because at the moment I’m not performing, and it was a goal of mine to play against the Lions. But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m no chance of making that team, because of how I’ve been performing this year,” Tupou told The Sydney Morning Herald in a candid interview.
“I’m at peace with it, I know it’s going to hurt, but l told myself, ‘you’re just not performing, and it’s just not good enough to be picked for the Lions [series]’. So I picture in my head, getting a call saying I’m not in the team, and I’m just accepting the fact that I’m not getting picked.
“Obviously, it’s hard. Since I’ve been at the Wallabies, the only reason [I haven’t been selected in the past] is because of injuries, and to get dropped for Lions would be tough. But at least I know the reason, you know?”
Taniela Tupou admits he’s battling a crisis of confidence . (Photo by Adam Pretty – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
While there’s been plenty of reasons to get excited about Australian rugby over the past year, including the improvement of the Wallabies under Joe Schmidt and the greater competitiveness of the Super Rugby sides, Tupou’s struggles have been one of the few genuine problematic areas ahead of the Lions series.
Capable of being the most destructive prop in the world, Tupou has been a shell of himself since joining the Waratahs.
While he was unfit and spent more time on the deck than ever before at the Rebels in 2024 after a couple of injury-ridden years, Tupou has been fit and available all season for the Waratahs. The issue is the $1.2 million man has been missing in action.
While Eddie Jones told The Roar he would do everything he could to keep Tupou in Australian rugby, and Schmidt said the prop’s experience would be vital, his form issues have meant he has yet to receive an offer from Rugby Australia despite being off contract at year’s end.
The Roar understands several suitors, including in England and France, are interested in Tupou, but the generational talent won’t be rushed into a decision as he holds out hope of a form return.
“I really think it’s mental, because the performance is not there and I start to second-guess myself, and start asking questions. ‘Can I do this? Is this for me?’ Or, ‘am I good?’ You start playing in your head,” Tupou told The Herald.
“Now I’m going into games thinking, ‘oh, I have to do this, I have to do that’. I have this list in my head, then I go into the game and I’m not able to take any of the opportunities, and it upsets me.
“I remember at my best, I was just a kid having fun. There was no pressure.
“I was just out there doing my thing, and I think I’m just putting a lot of pressure on myself at the moment. And I go into some games thinking, ‘oh, there’s no pressure’ and ‘I’m just going to get there and enjoy it’, but then I’m just lying to myself.”
Asked what he thought was going wrong with his game, Tupou said he was scared to do what came naturally to him in the past.
“I don’t know what it is, after round one, I was like, maybe I’m slowly getting into it. Then round two, round three, round four, round five, and I’m like, OK, there’s something that’s not right here, and sometimes, I go out there, and I finish the game, and I’m like, ‘f— me, do I know how to play rugby any more, or what?’” he said.
“It feels like I just don’t know what I’m doing, you know? I’m nervous to do things I used to do well, I used to just be running the ball, and just offloading, and just able to do things.
“But I’m nervous to throw a pass. I don’t know what it is, but I hope I can find a solution, because I want to play well for the Tahs, and I want to hopefully get back in the Wallabies one day.”
Taniela Tupou says he’s been “nervous” to do what usually comes naturally to him on the rugby field in 2025. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Tupou’s extraordinary and candid admission comes with the Waratahs’ season spiralling out of control.
Having won four of their opening five matches, the Waratahs are now in ninth with a month to go after winning just one of their past five games.
Although Tupou’s struggles aren’t the only reason the Waratahs have slipped down the rankings, Dan McKellar would have hoped his experienced Test prop would have caused some carnage, particularly at the scrum.
Instead, the Waratahs’ scrum has simply been steady with Tupou on the field, while only Angus Bell and Langi Gleeson have consistently made inroads with ball-in-hand.
Tupou admitted he had even shied away from contacted Schmidt because of the upcoming series.
“The other day, I wanted to reach out to him [for] some help, but I didn’t want to because, obviously, he’s getting closer at the end of the season, and it’s getting closer for him to pick his team for the Lions, and I didn’t want to … I don’t know, I was like, I’ll leave him alone, I’ll just get some help somewhere,” Tupou said.
The Tongan-born prop, who became a schoolboy sensation in New Zealand before signing with the Queensland Reds after idolising Quade Cooper as a youngster, added that it wasn’t lost on him that his time in the gold jersey wasn’t guaranteed.
“I’m starting to think, one of these tours, one of these camps, it could be my last,” he said.
“I started thinking like that a year or two ago, and every time I get a chance to play with the Wallabies, I really, enjoy it, because I’m getting old …. so it means a lot to me to play.”
Taniela Tupou says he’s not sure if he’ll earn selection for the Wallabies against the Lions. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Tupou will come off the bench for the Waratahs in Friday night’s must-win clash against his former side, the Queensland Reds.
Reds lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who played alongside Tupou at the Rebels and Reds, said on Wednesday the Wallabies needed the prop to rediscover his form for the nation to be a chance against the Lions.
“If there’s any chance we have in winning a Lions series and home World Cup (in 2027), he has to be involved,” he told reporters in Brisbane.
“We go through times when our form dips. He’s only human, no exception.
“For the Wallabies to do well … you’ve got to include him, I think everyone knows that.
“Get behind him and support him because we know that at his best, there’s not many that come close.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.