Paris: In late September, Taniela Tupou arrived at Fua’amotu International Airport in Tonga feeling sick in the stomach, like an anxious kid on the first day of school.
Dragging his luggage to the airline counter, the Wallabies prop was told by airport staff there was a problem with his booking, meaning he would not be able to fly home to Australia.
Tupou couldn’t believe his luck.
Bad luck? No, good luck.
He smiled, nodded, then walked back to his car.
“I thought ‘how good is that’,” Tupou said.
To understand why Tupou was so ecstatic at not being able to re-enter Australia, it’s worth remembering the interview he did moments after his Queensland Reds side defeated the Brumbies in last year’s Super Rugby AU decider.
Taniela Tupou has had a roller coaster 2022.Credit:Getty
Commentator Sonny Bill Williams asked Tupou a simple question that elicited an unexpected reaction.
“Eighty-minute effort from you ‘uce’,” Williams began. “Anything you want to say to your family? I know you were pretty emotional saying that you wish they were here.”
Tupou’s mind flashed back to his family in Tonga.
“Last time I saw my family was back in 2019,” said Tupou, the ninth child in a family of 11 siblings.
Bang. The bottom lip began to quiver.
“This one’s for you Mum,” said Tupou as Williams wrapped his arm around the big prop who had tears in his eyes. “It’s Mother’s Day tomorrow, so happy Mother’s Day man.”
Many rugby fans will know about Tupou’s strong ties with his Tongan family but beneath the tough exterior, few will understand just how flat Tupou has been during the COVID-19 years.
“I am a very emotional person but I don’t like to show it,” Tupou told the Herald ahead of Australia’s Test against France.
Three years of FaceTime calls and feeling like a part of his life was missing, ended with a hug like no other between mother and son in Tonga after Australia’s final Bledisloe Cup match in late September.
“I went home for five days … and I felt like a part of me came back when I went to Tonga,” said Tupou, whose father passed away when he was nine. “I haven’t felt like that in a while.
“It was one of the best times I’ve had in the past few years, just to go back to where everything started. Going home helped me come on this tour. If you know me, you know how important that is to me.
Taniela Tupou with his mother Loisi.Credit:Instagram
“Before COVID, I would go home once a month. Family is everything to me. It was only five days but I had the best time. I came back fresh and I felt like something went missing but I found it again before coming on tour.
“We don’t have much there but we’re close. Everybody knows everybody. I had a really good time.”
It’s been a significant year for Tupou, punctuated by more lows than highs. There was a calf injury that ruled him out of the last month of Super Rugby, then the birth of his first child, aptly named ‘Nela’, before a different calf complaint in September.
With a new baby and a six-week stint abroad looming, Tupou dreamed of staying in Tonga with his mother, Loisi.
His wish almost came true.
“It was a lot harder leaving,” Tupou said. “I hate that feeling of leaving my home. It’s the worst thing.
“I went to the airport and they said I had no visa to come back to Australia. I said, ‘look, that’s OK’. I thought ‘how good is that’. I was ready to stay back for another few days if I could.
“I texted Kate [a member of the Wallabies staff] but I didn’t text her until later. I was just hoping I could come back the next day. I walked back to my car and the lady ran after me and said ‘oh sorry, your visa showed up’.
“I was like ‘far-out’. I was sad I was going to leave and happy my visa wasn’t there. Then it was even worse that they found the visa.”
Tupou’s desire to remain with family shows just how much he’s missed them.
Tupou and his newborn son Nela.Credit:Instagram
In the dying moments of Australia’s Test against Scotland on Saturday, Tupou conceded a penalty that gave Blair Kinghorn a chance to hit a match-winning three-pointer. He pushed it left, much to Tupou’s relief.
Had the Wallabies failed at their first spring tour hurdle, you can bet that Tupou wouldn’t be singing karaoke at the team hotel, which was posted on the Wallabies social media accounts.
“I like to just go there, connect my phone and start singing,” Tupou said.
Tupou misses his son and partner – “being a father does change your perspective” – but he is good at putting on a brave face.
“He’s buoyant … full of energy … and he’s had a great training week,” said coach Dave Rennie this week. “I think he’s in a really good place and enjoying the tour.”
Tupou, who didn’t want to comment on whether he will stay in Australian rugby post 2023, is asked if he’d move to Tonga when he retires.
“Tonga will always be home but Australia is a home away from home,” Tupou said. “Brisbane is similar to Tonga … no traffic. It’s cheaper than Sydney in terms of houses. Brisbane is all I know. I left school [in New Zealand], went straight there and I love it.”
Then the punchline, delivered with a grin.
“Who knows, I might be here in France somewhere. Bonjour!”
