'Chip on shoulder' - Sione Tuipulotu reveals motivational fuel as Glasgow Warriors switch things up

The Warriors kick off their Investec Champions Cup campaign on Friday night against Sale Sharks in a repeat of last season’s opener. Franco Smith’s side won convincingly 38-19 on that occasion but had the advantage of playing at home.

This time around they will be in Salford for the first game of Pool 1 with further tests to follow against Toulouse (at home), Clermont (away) and Saracens (home). It’s an enticing set of fixtures and Tuipulotu said this was his favourite part of the rugby season, with the Euro ties separated by two 1872 Cup derbies against Edinburgh.

Having captained Scotland through a tough Autumn Nations Series, you sense he is relishing the opportunity to turn out again for Glasgow for the first time in seven weeks. The draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup took place this week but Tuipulotu knows his immediate focus must be on the here and now.

“I've come out of this Autumn Nations just really focused on my rugby for Glasgow, and getting out there and enjoying it, and just being the influential player that I am,” he said.

“This run of games is always my favourite part of the calendar because every game for your club means something in terms of getting a high seed in Europe or winning the 1872 Cup. This is my favourite time of year for rugby.

World Cup on the backburner

“That's where my focus is, and it’s been a good week back in Glasgow and getting accustomed to playing with those boys again.

“We've got a big game on Friday against Sale, so that's really all I'm thinking about. It's pretty easy for me to put the World Cup at the back of my mind, to be honest.”

Defeats by New Zealand and Argentina soured Scotland’s November campaign and although there was no shame in losing to the All Blacks it felt like a missed opportunity after Gregor Townsend’s side fought back to level things at 17-17 as the game entered the final stages. The Argentina match was a more harrowing affair as the Scots saw their 21-0 lead wiped out as the Pumas scored five tries in the final 23 minutes to win 33-24.

The collapse prompted boos from the home crowd - a rarity at Murrayfield - and there was plenty of deserved criticism. Tuipulotu said he would use it as motivation.

Dealing with the peaks and troughs

“I've been in Scotland now for five years,” he said. “From the Tonga game when I debuted four years ago and now to be the captain of Scotland, it's been a long journey for me and it's been ups and downs.

“There were downs in the autumn and I think it's just shown me that the journey is the journey, and I'm prepared for all the valleys and troughs and stuff like that that I've experienced over the last four years in my career.

“I'm well accustomed to dealing with all of this. I've moved countries three times to be where I am right now. If I can get there in two years [to the World Cup], then I'll be even more prepared to do what I want to go and achieve with my mates here in Scotland.

“I just think about the journey now and I'm looking forward to getting back to my club now with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, I think, with everything that's happened during the autumn and stuff like that.

“I feel like that's when I'll play my best rugby anyway, so I'm excited.”

“It's not really when you're doing well you get to show everyone what you're about,” added the Scotland skipper. “It's when maybe something goes wrong as a team or, you get to show people who you really are.

“I honestly am in a really good place mentally now because I am focused and determined now to do my job for Glasgow.”

The Warriors looked really flat in last week’s shock 23-0 defeat by the Scarlets in Llanelli and head coach Smith has rung the changes for the game against Sale, bringing back his big guns.

All-new pack

Zander Fagerson will make his first appearance for the club since April’s victory over Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup last 16 and is part of an all-new pack. He starts in the front row alongside Nathan McBeth and Gregor Hiddleston as Patrick Schickerling, Jamie Bahtti and Johnny Matthews drop out. The latter two are carrying injuries.

In the second row, Scott Cummings and Max Williamson take over from Alex Craig and Olujare Oguntibeju. And Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey are selected in the back row in place of Gregor Brown, Angus Fraser and Macenzzie Duncan.

There are also four changes in the backline where only Josh McKay, Stafford McDowall and Ollie Smith are retained from the side who started in Wales. It will be a landmark occasion for McDowall who will make his 100th appearance for Glasgow. He will partner Tuipulotu in the centre, with Ollie Smith moving out to the left wing.

Club captain Kyle Steyn returns to replace the injured Kyle Rowe on the other wing while George Horne and Adam Hastings take over from Ben Afshar and Dan Lancaster at nine and ten.

Horne stole the show a year ago, scoring a first-half hat-trick as Glasgow blew Sale away at Scotstoun. It’ll be tougher at the Sharks’ recently renamed CorpAcq Stadium but it’s about as strong a team as Glasgow could have selected and they should have too much for Sale who have Arron Reed at full-back and his Scotland team-mate Gus Warr on the bench.

Tuipulotu expects a reaction after the Scarlets defeat and believes that playing in the Champions Cup will lift the squad.

“I said the most important thing now is that we are resilient after that, and I think the European Cup offers something fresh,” he said. “It gives you a chance to freshen up mentally because how often do we play away at Manchester?”

Sale v Glasgow teams

Champions Cup Pool 1, CorpAcq Stadium, Friday, 8pm.

Sale Sharks: 15. Arron Reed, 14. Tom O'Flaherty, 13. Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, 12. Marius Louw, 11. Alex Wills, 10. Rob du Preez, 9. Raffi Quirke, 1. Si McIntyre, 2. Nathan Jibulu, 3. Willgriff John, 4. Tom Burrow, 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Jacques Vermeulen, 7. Ernst van Rhyn (c), 8. Tom Curry. Replacements: 16. Ethan Caine, 17. Tumy Onasanya, 18. James Harper, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. Ben Curry, 21. Gus Warr, 22. Ollie Davies, 23. Gurshwin Wehr.

Glasgow Warriors: 15. Josh McKay, 14. Kyle Steyn (c), 13. Stafford McDowall, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Ollie Smith, 10. Adam Hastings, 9. George Horne, 1. Nathan McBeth, 2. Gregor Hiddleston, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Max Williamson, 5. Scott Cummings, 6. Matt Fagerson, 7. Rory Darge, 8. Jack Dempsey. Replacements: 16. Seb Stephen, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. Sam Talakai, 19. Alex Samuel, 20. Gregor Brown, 21. Ally Miller, 22. Jamie Dobie, 23. Dan Lancaster.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra).