The NSW Wratahs coach establishes a challenge to Taniela Tupou on the bench
McKeller is less worried by Tupou’s minutes of play as a job he does on the field.
“He’s playing 50 minutes, he’s playing 60 minutes, so we saw him,” said McKellar. “It is the quantity and quality of the work, with which I know it is on board.”
McKeller has a strong relationship with Tupou, deriving from their time working together with the Wallabies in 2021 when the coach Waratahs was working as a assistant under Dave Rennie.
Four years ago, Tupou had a justified reputation as one of the best stage objects of world rugby before suffering A tendon of Achille broken against Ireland At the end of 2022
“His attitude and the application were excellent,” McKellar said. “I think it is light as it has been for a long time, and has worked incredibly hard, and it is loose.
“It is a bit frustrated, so it is hoped that it can transfer that frustration on the field on Saturday afternoon (against Moana Pasifika).
“But he is a great boy, a great man. The boys love him, the staff loves him. He is a very, very, very good rugby player when he does it well, and we are working hard with him to make sure to give him the support and coaching he needs to allow him to play the level he can play.”
Tupou is out of contract at the end of the season and according to what reports is eager to remain in Australia, with McKellar also eager to keep his services. If Rugby Australia agrees with a new contract with the propeller, it will be lower than its current agreement.
Last season for the rebels, Tupou left the bench in eight of the 14 games he played. Given his injury record, if not his salary, there is a discussion according to which he could have more impact from the bench, in the manner of the famous approach of the South Africa bomb team.
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McKeller said he could take into consideration the use of Tupou as a submarine in the future since the Waratah use their full depth of stage objects that includes Botha and Sosififa Amone.
“It is a possibility (moving Tupou to the bench in the future), of course, that’s what I’m looking at this week and we’ll see how it goes,” McKellar said.
“But I think that the quality we have in front rowers will sometimes start, sometimes it will come out of the bench … As I said, I can’t be clearer, we want to get out more.”
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