Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: The Rise Of Christian Tuipulotu
In The Niche Cache's Kiwi-NRL mangroves, there is one young lad from Otahuhu who rivals Christchurch's Jordan Riki as the most decorated NZRL juniors. Christian Tuipulotu's debut for Tonga last weekend marked the arrival of a top notch Kiwi-NRL junior on the international rugby league scene and his performance on the wing, perhaps as Tonga's best player is aligned with Tuipulotu's NZRL representative honours at a junior level.
Tuipulotu commanded his first Kiwi-NRL Spotlight treatment back in May, after four impressive games on the wing for Sea Eagles. Sea Eagles went 2-2 during that stretch and have since gone 3-4 prior to the international rugby league window, which has been niggly for Sea Eagles folks and their Kiwi-NRL crew. For Tuipulotu though this forms a phase of 13 consecutive starts on the wing for Sea Eagles with 7 tries and 133m/game.
That form and consistency resulted in Tuipulotu being called up to the Tonga team. Tuipulotu was unfortunately sin-binned and despite playing 70 minutes, Tuipulotu was the most efficient and productive outside back for Tonga. Tuipulotu was in fact the most dynamic runner for Tonga and showcased his class in steadily dealing with Aotearoa's kicking game.
Tuipulotu had 15 runs for 163m @ 10.86m/run against Aotearoa, in his international debut. Not only has Tuipulotu settled into his Sea Eagles mahi where reps are starting to stack up, Tuipulotu low key hit a nek level as Tonga's best player. This is exactly the progression and development Kiwi-NRL folks should expect from such highly touted juniors from Aotearoa.
Riki featured as 18th geezer for Aotearoa and while players like Sitili Tupouniua (Marist Saints), Marata Niukore (Mangere East) and Dylan Brown (Hikurangi) all impressed in this fixture as fresh Kiwi-NRL representative players, Riki and Tuipulotu offer a different realm of NZRL representative pedigree.
Both Tuipulotu and Riki made most, if not all possible representative teams at an age group level. Both featured in NZRL High Performance Camps, with Riki winning the NZRL U16 Award in 2017 followed by Tuipulotu winning the same award in 2018. They both featured in the 2017 National Secondary Schools Tournament Team and Tuipulotu then made the same team in his final year of school at St Paul's College.
St Paul's College is known as the best rugby league school in Aotearoa. However, similar to how folks need to expand their thinking beyond NZ Warriors representing Aotearoa in the NRL when every NRL club recruits from Aotearoa, Aotearoa's rugby league growth means that many more schools are flourishing as Kiwi-NRL development pathways. Even the premise of a 'rugby league school' is outdated considering that 1st 15 rugby is as important for Kiwi-NRL juniors as schoolboy rugby league.
Riki for example, went to St Thomas of Canterbury College. You probably don't know that St Thomas exists and yet along with Riki, the Fa'atili brothers went through St Thomas to now be playing together with Wynnum U21s (Broncos affiliated). Riki was joined by Greymouth's Griffin Neame in the Kiwis squad as another marker of growth.
The return of high level rugby league was lovely, while the NSST will return later this year after a few years out of action. This will see a wide variety of schoolboy talent on display for every NRL club to watch and while I expect growth in the schools taking part, plus the spread of talent around Aotearoa; St Paul's are still churning out NRL level talent.
In the 2017 NSS Tournament Team, Tuipulotu was joined by St Paul's comrades Starford To'a (Tigers) and Sione Moala (Raiders). To'a then went to Australia and the 2018 NSSTT featured Tuipulotu, Moala and Jonah Palota-Kopa (Sea Eagles) from St Paul's College. Tuipulotu and To'a are currently playing NRL, while Moala and Palota-Kopa are mainly playing Jersey Flegg this season.
There has been a bit of buzz around Isaiya Katoa's selection in the Tongan squad and their lack of play-making in the halves was a weakness for Aotearoa. Buzz less about Katoa and more about Manurewa junior Moala who is a smidge behind Tuipulotu and Riki in the decorated NZRL junior ranks. Moala made that 2017 NSSTT and was still playing for St Paul's in 2019 before dabbling in 2020 NZ Warriors SG Ball; the pandemic destroyed that team and Moala took up an opportunity with Raiders.
This brings us to the relationship between NZRL and Tonga. NZRL representative teams and development systems service everyone from all cultural backgrounds, effectively helping to develop youngsters like Tuipulotu who then play for Tonga against Aotearoa. Tonga also does the most mahi in providing for young Tongans in Aotearoa through Hakula Tonga and it is no coincidence that most Tongan players opt to represent Tonga as this connection has been development over many years at a grassroots level.
For Tuipulotu this means NZRL representative teams, High Performance Camps and quite simply more resources available through NZRL. Tuipulotu also consistently showed up for Hakula Tonga age-group fixtures and tournaments, plus Otahuhu is the Tongan capital of Auckland - which is the Polynesian capital of the world. This could be reason to whinge and moan, highlighting niggle between these two organisations.
Or this can be celebrated. Aotearoa vs Tonga isn't just a fun fixture, it represents the shared mahi between these nations and the investment in young folks on either side should be celebrated. Just because Tuipulotu represented Tonga and is highly likely to continue representing Tonga, there is no need to diminish any NZRL mahi. Just because Tuipulotu represented Aotearoa at every age-group and won NZRL awards doesn't mean the Hakula Tonga mahi should be overlooked.
Tuipulotu's journey represents everything fabulous about Kiwi-NRL and rugby league within Aotearoa. Many different cultural backgrounds come together to learn, grow and develop as young folks. Many different elders from different cultural backgrounds guide these young folks. Rugby league in Aotearoa is not represented by NZ Warriors, nor is the strength of rugby league solely represented by Aotearoa Kiwis.
Aotearoa rugby league is represented by the people involved, the grassroots clubs who develop young folks. Tuipulotu wound up being Tonga's best player, down a few roads from the place he grew up while playing against Aotearoa. That feels like a Kiwi-NRL celebration and Tuipulotu's rise from highly celebrated youngster to international winger reflects the standing from rugby league in Aotearoa.
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Peace and love.