Tuipulotu 'trying not to make Australia game bigger than it is'

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu says Sunday’s Autumn Nations Series match against Australia is “massively special”, but does not feel he has anything to prove.

Born and raised in Australia, Tuipulotu represented the Wallabies at under-20 level but left his homeland in 2018 for Japan after becoming frustrated at a lack of opportunities with Melbourne Rebels.

Since arriving in Scotland in 2021, Tuipulotu has become a star for Glasgow Warriors and the national team, and he says he has no regrets about the way his rugby journey has panned out.

“If you asked me that question three years ago or four years ago when I first left Australia, I had so much, I suppose, animosity or professional anger inside me because I felt my talent really wasn't looked after in Australia,” Tuipulotu said.

“But to be honest, now I feel like I am where I'm supposed to be, here in Scotland. And I feel like all those things that happened early in my career were meant to happen because now I'm sitting here in the position that I am.

“It's funny, you always want to play a lot harder against your mates, and I have a lot of mates in that Wallabies team, but I'm sure it's the same for them.

“I'm trying to make it not bigger than it is really. It's just another test match for Scotland, so that's big in its own right.”