Glasgow have made strides in the Champions Cup, reaching the quarter-finals last season and pushing Toulon all the way, and if they are to do similar this campaign Tuipulotu will need to be firing on all cylinders. He is the talisman for Glasgow and, you could argue, Scotland. When he is at his best he is a genuinely world-class midfield operator.
I’m not sure that he has been able to reach those levels on a consistent basis since the chest injury that put his place on last year’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in jeopardy. But the signs were promising during Scotland’s summer fixtures when Tuipulotu captained them to an impressive win over Argentina and a defeat full of positives against the Springboks, before helping them over the line against Fiji. Glasgow are a side that were ahead of the curve when it comes to exploiting the laws to use their maul to impressive effect.
If they can stay there they can go deep into the competition again. Staying in the centres, the signing of Menoncello by Toulouse is one of those moves that just stops you in your tracks and makes you think of the endless possibilities. It reminds me of Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid – a supremely gifted midfielder arriving at the club that boasts the most impressive record in European history.
I saw a try that he scored recently from 40m out on the opening weekend of the season and, as he tends to, it took the breath away. It was not so long ago that Pita Ahki was a mainstay of the Toulouse midfield. He has moved on now but in Menoncello, Toulouse have acquired an upgrade and that is saying something about the Italy centre’s talents.
You only have to watch the try he scored in Italy’s first victory over England in March to see how devastating he can be. I’m fascinated by how Tom Willis will go for the back-to-back champions. There are countless players I could have selected from the Bordeaux squad – Louis Bielle-Biarrey or their captain and spiritual leader, Maxime Lucu – but all good champion sides do not rest on their laurels, they keep adding.
And in Willis, Bordeaux have brought in an imposing figure. While Bordeaux are capable of scoring some remarkable tries, the bedrock of their game is physicality and Willis has that in spades. It’s no surprise that he has hit the ground running because the way he plays the game makes him easy for supporters to love.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
