Mosese Tuipulotu has his say on big bro Sione, 12 or 13 and the Scottish weather

His little brother Mosese was making his Edinburgh debut and acquitted himself well in the first half before Sean Everitt changed his entire team at the interval. A lovely offload in the build-up to Darcy Graham’s try and a crunching tackle on Ollie Thorley were the showreel highlights for the younger Tuipulotu who has moved to the capital from New South Wales Waratahs.

He may not have played a lot of top-tier rugby but Mosese is Edinburgh’s most eye-catching signing ahead of the new season which kicks off with a tricky home game against Leinster on Friday and won’t get any easier when they travel to South Africa for matches with the Bulls and Lions in rounds two and three.

Mosese may lack experience but the potential is clear to see. Sione has excelled in three seasons with Glasgow, evolving into Scotland’s most potent attacking weapon, and the hope is that Mosese can develop similarly. Like Sione, he plays in the centre and will lean heavily on his big brother as settles in Scotland, spending time with him, his partner Lara and their new baby, Tu’uhefohe Junior.

“To be fair I've been going over to Glasgow a bit,” said Mosese. “My nephew's just been born so it's been good spending time with him and Sione. He's been giving me a lot of tips so I've kept him close.

“My brother's always been good with that stuff and he's never forced me into anything. He's always wanted me to come and join him but ultimately it was my decision.

“I guess I've been watching him for a while now over here and seeing what he's been able to achieve. I'm just trying to follow in his footsteps.”

All being well, the brothers will come up against each other when the traditional Edinburgh-Glasgow derbies are played over Christmas. “We've been speaking about it a bit at home,” said Mosese. “I'm sure it'll be special if I get the opportunity to play him. We're pretty competitive both of us, so we'll go head to head.”

Mosese has been on the Scottish Rugby radar for a while and it was Glasgow who were initially interested in signing him. The 23-year-old turned down the chance to come to Scotland on that occasion when he was still harbouring hopes of playing for Australia. It now looks like he could follow Sione into Gregor Townsend’s squad, qualifying through their Greenock grandmother, but he knows he has to deliver for Edinburgh first.

“I haven't really been looking that far ahead,” said Mosese. “I'm just trying to have a good pre-season. Now that I've finished that I’m just trying to start the season off as best as I can.”

He played at outside centre in the 29-26 win over Gloucester but most of his rugby has been at 12, “where he can get his hands on the ball at bit more”. He’s keen to learn at 13 and having the experienced Matt Scott alongside on Friday helped. In fact, he went out of his way to praise his new team-mates for helping him settle in Edinburgh. “The boys have made me feel really comfortable, I’ve just got to get used to the weather,” he smiled.