Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has selected 10 players for the tour of the Americas. But former Waratah Moses Tuipulotu missed the cut.
Tuipulotu, who recently said he did not get the “love” he felt at the Tahs, has decided to shift his ambitions from the Wallaby gold jersey to the Scottish Navy.
But he will have to wait before considering a debut after Townsend decided to allow him to find his feet at his new club Edinburgh next season.
Townsend was involved in talks to bring Tuipulotu to Glasgow Warriors last season, which would have reunited him with brother Sione, but Mosese opted to stay at the Waratahs.
Moses Tuipulotu. Photo: Waratahs Media – Julius Dimataga
He knew his opportunities were limited in the Wooden Spoon Super Rugby outfit alone.
Mosese came through the Melbourne Rebels academy and moved to New South Wales in 2021, playing for Eastern Suburbs in the Shute Shield and the Waratahs in Super Rugby.
“I’ve watched all of his games for Easts at Shield level this year and I’m delighted he’s coming to Scotland,” Townsend said on Saturday.
“He is a Scotland qualified player who has signed for Edinburgh. However, we believe we have a lot of experience in central positions with the players we have selected and it would probably be better for Moses to settle down and get playing time at Edinburgh. He put pressure on our team’s centers and earned his hand for selection in November.”
Along with Sione, other Glasgow squad members include Huw Jones and Stafford McDowall, as well as unrestricted Matt Currie, who will be Mosese’s team-mate at Edinburgh next season.
Chiefs get All Black batting
Chiefs will not have either All Black hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho involved in next weekend’s Super Rugby Pacific final against the Blues.
He suffered a leg injury in the semi-final against the Hurricanes, which ruled him out of the decider at Eden Park, although this was not a long-term problem.
Taukei’aho was injured making a tackle in the first half.
“It’s pretty bad. We might be looking for another whore. It’s either your calf or your Achilles tendon. I don’t think it was real (serious), but there was something there,” coach Clayton McMillan said.
“He was in position to make the tackle and he walked off the field, so that’s probably an indication that he’s not great.”
Taukei’aho’s replacement Bradley Slater required a head injury assessment, leaving the Chiefs to finish the game without a professional hooker on the field.
“Brad Slater came on and had a knee injury and needed a HIA. He went to war, but he stuck with it until he got sent off and we ended the game with the ball either at halfback or in the second five, so there was quite a bit of collateral damage in this game,” McMillan said. .
He added that he hoped Shaun Stephenson, who withdrew late with a hamstring problem, will recover in time.
“Given the size of the game, he knew the back three would be working very hard and he did not want to compromise the team.
“If he couldn’t play his best, he didn’t want to be the guy who went out and had success in the first 10 minutes and left us in trouble.
“It was a huge call from him, but the good news is we have another week.”
Glasgow stuns Munster and Bulls advance at URC.
Glasgow Warriors advanced to the United Rugby Championship final for the first time since 2019 after defeating champions Munster at Thomond Park.
A late red card for Munster’s Alex Nankivell helped the Warriors secure a 17-10 win.
The Warriors will face the Bulls in the final in Pretoria on Saturday June 22 after the South African side secured a thrilling 25-20 win over Leinster.
Two tries from Sergeal Petersen and another from Johan Goosen, who scored 15 points, saw the Bulls reach their second final in three years.
Leinster responded with tries from James Lowe and Caelan Doris but their bid for a ninth URC title and first trophy since 2021 fell short.
A frenetic opening failed to produce any points as the quality of Shaw’s defense matched that of both attacks.
The Bulls won the kicking battle and wings Petersen and Devon Williams had chances to score before the hosts crossed after 19 minutes.
In the same move, Willie Le Roux’s catch and pass put Williams in the corner, but the attempt was disallowed as Bulls flanker Marco van Staden dispossessed Ross Byrne of the ball.
The Bulls were reduced to 14 men due to a deliberate knock-on from Petersen and Leinster immediately took advantage of the yellow card.
Province drove to the line and Byrne slipped in a clever pass for Wing Lowe to set up a corner.
Byrne added another strike for a seven-point lead, but the Bulls fought back strongly despite being a man down.
Goosen cut off Embrose Papier’s pass with a brilliant line and crossed unopposed, with the outside half leveling the scores with a simple conversion.
The Bulls remained top of the table with their full complement restored, while the Leinster scrum showed signs of discomfort.
Goosen converted a penalty kick from a 25-metre angle to put the Bulls ahead 10-7.
The South Africans extended their lead two minutes after the restart when Harold Worster fired home a delightful kick from the touchline.
Petersen rallied to race on and Goosen converted but just as the Bulls looked set to dominate the closing stages at altitude, Leinster hit back straight away.
Caelan Doris powered over from close range after Leinster were denied a chance to take an easy three points and Byrne added a further point under the posts.
Leinster leveled matters near the hour mark after a brilliant kick and collection from Lowe forced a Bulls error and a successful Byrne penalty.
Goosen and Byrne traded kicks as the seesaw nature of the high-level contest continued.
There were 13 minutes remaining when Petersen beat substitute Ciaran Frawley for Papier’s Garryowen.
Petersen touched the ball past Frawley and brought it down to clear the race and Leinster were unable to save the day with a pulsating finish.
White Rock once again with a feeling
All Blacks great Sam Whitelock will return to the international stage for the final time when he features for the Barbarians against Fiji.
Lock, 35, who holds the All Blacks cap record with 153, played his final club game for Pau in the top 14 last week, scoring in his final game.
“I have always wanted to represent the Barbarians and I am delighted that I now have the opportunity to do so,” he said.
“I would like to experience a week with BaaBaas. I’m really excited to be doing something for the first time after a long career in rugby so far.
“The barbarians are a select group. You have to be invited to play, and getting that invitation now is very humbling.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the players I’ve played against throughout my career. A week spent with the group will be special. It’s always great to get to know different people, different cultures and different ways of working, all against the backdrop of an important game weekend.
“The Barbarians also play a fantastic style of rugby. They are never afraid to try a few things and I am sure this will be the same.”
