Blake Schoupp was only a couple of months into his first pre-season with the Brumbies last year when he laid out the vision to his brother Aaron.
If it all went to plan, Blake would make his Super Rugby debut in round one against the Waratahs, so Aaron – an NRL player with the Gold Coast Titans – would need to plan accordingly.
“So he asked the coach for the weekend off well in advance,” Blake Schoupp said. “And it has worked out nicely. He’ll fly down and watch me play on Friday.”
It wouldn’t be Waratahs v Brumbies week without a tale of a player snubbed by NSW returning to Sydney in ACT colours, with a mind to impress.
And the latest to walk the well-worn path is Schoupp, a Southern Districts prop from Wollongong who has come from the clouds to win a starting spot for the Brumbies on Friday night.
Schoupp has been a powerhouse loosehead prop and hooker in the Shute Shield for several seasons but with no interest from the Waratahs beyond a single day’s training as COVID cover, the 23-year-old was recruited by the Brumbies on a train-and-trial basis late last year.
Blake Schoupp will make his debut for the Brumbies against NSW.Credit:Lachlan Lawson/Brumbies
The PE teacher has impressed so much in the pre-season and in two trials that Schoupp will start in the Brumbies No.1 against the Tahs in the Super Rugby season-opener at Allianz Stadium, with his idol, Wallabies veteran James Slipper, on the bench. Schoupp has also been contracted through to 2025.
“There were times in the last few years I was genuinely questioning if I would keep playing rugby, so I am pretty chuffed,” Schoupp said.
The 110kg prop played junior rugby for Woonoona before moving to Nudgee College on a rugby scholarship in his last two years of school, and playing in the Queensland schoolboys team in 2016 alongside Tate McDermott and Fraser McReight.
Schoupp moved back to Sydney to study teaching and played colts for Randwick for a season, before joining Southern Districts via a connection with now Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning. He debuted in first grade in 2019 but was up and down for the next 18 months, playing as low as third grade.
Blake Schoupp (middle with tape on ear) helping the Southern Districts scrum blast through Norths in 2022.Credit:Karen Watson
“I was questioning whether I was good enough. It was a shock to the system and I was questioning whether it was worth it to keep playing. I was still studying teaching and it was time-consuming, Shute Shield is a second job almost,” he said.
Under Todd Louden and front-row mentor Duncan Chubb, Schoupp returned to the top grade in 2020 and has since developed a reputation as one of Sydney’s most destructive loosehead props.
Schoupp got on the Brumbies’ radar when Chubb invited his old Souths teammate Dan Palmer – the former Wallaby who is now ACT’s scrum coach – to a pre-season training at the start of 2022.
“Chubby pulled me aside and said ‘this is an opportunity for you to put your hand up and show what you can do’,” Schoupp said.
Blake Schoupp and his brother Aaron, who played for the Bulldogs before moving to the Titans.Credit:Lachlan Lawson/Getty
“After the training session Palms pulled me aside and asked me a lot of questions, like ‘had the Waratahs made inquiries, have you had any look-ins there?’”
No, came the answer from Schoupp. NSW have Wallabies star Angus Bell on the books and brought in Tom Lambert this year, but last year opted to recruit Ruan Smith for experience.
Palmer stayed in touch and after a season where Souths’ forward pack claimed a lot of scrummaging scalps, he invited Schoupp to Canberra. Though in his first professional environment, seasoned Brumbies players immediately recognised Schoupp’s strength and quality, and an injury to Harry Vella opened up an opportunity.
“When I was coming up through the ranks there was no talk of junior reps or academies,” Schoupp said.
“I had no inkling I was good enough to do that and personally I wasn’t really confident enough at that stage. I had been in and our of firsts colts and in and out of first grade in Shute Shield.
“It was a bit of a mixed bag from me during that period, transitioning from colts to grade.
“I don’t have any resentment [against NSW]. There were times in recent years I thought I could be good enough to get into environment, even just to train with them. I thought at the time I was doing enough, but they obviously didn’t think that.
“But I don’t have any resentment because I love where I am at, I want to be here as long as possible. As a front rower, there is no better place to be than at the Brumbies. I am very happy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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