Australia and Melbourne Rebels tighthead prop Taniel Tupou has received an offer from four-time European champions Leinster to join at the end of the current Super Rugby Pacific season, according Australian outlet CODE Sports.
With the future of his current club beyond this season shrouded in uncertainty, Leinster could potentially lure ‘Tongan Thor’ away from Australia with a reported offer of $950k AUD a year.
The 27-year-old is currently contracted with Rugby Australia and the Rebels until 2025, the year they host the British & Irish Lions, and earns $1.2m AUD a year.
Tupou only arrived at the Rebels this season from the Queensland Reds, but has joined a side that went into voluntary administration before the start of the Super Rugby season, and made large swathes of their staff redundant.
Leinster may be able to offer Tupou a lifeline while equally finding an elite-level replacement for current tighthead Michael Ala’alatoa, who is set to join Top 14 outfit ASM Clermont Auvergne at the end of the season.
The Irish outfit currently sit at the top of the United Rugby Championship table and have a home round of 16 tie in the Investec Champions Cup to come against Leicester Tigers in April.
Up against his former side the Reds on Friday, Tupou failed to impress, only lasting 32 minutes before being removed.
Following the Rebels’ 53-26 loss, RugbyPass writer Finn Morton gave a withering appraisal of Tupou’s season so far, writing: “Tupou just hasn’t looked like his old self this season. There haven’t been any terrorising runs down the field, and not many big hits to note either.
“In two starts from four matches, Taniela Tupou has been quite poor and that’s putting it lightly.
“Playing against his old club the Reds, Tupou didn’t carry the ball once. The tighthead prop also made the least amount of tackles out of any starting forward – and only one more than fly-half Carter Gordon who made four stops.
“Inside the opening 10 minutes, Tupou was walking more than any other player. In one instance, he was the last to arrive at a lineout and one of the last to leave as the play moved on.
“Tupou did receive some praise from the Stan Sport commentators after winning a penalty at the breakdown early on, but that was about as good as it got for the Tongan Thor.”
