Wallabies Prop Kailea Faces Scotland Captain Tuipulotu, Childhood Rival
Wallabies prop Isaac Kailea grew up playing backyard footy in Melbourne with Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu. The two cousins in all but name meet at Murrayfield in the second of three Tests in the United Kingdom, with Kailea hoping for a win.
Wallabies prop Isaac Kailea will line up against Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu at Murrayfield, the man who "used to smash" him in backyard games in Melbourne. The wallabies-scotland rivalry born in Melbourne has a personal edge for Kailea, 26, who hopes to win this time.
Kick-off is 2:10am AEDT. It is the second of the Wallabies' three Tests in the United Kingdom.
Tuipulotu is another player who got away from Australian rugby. A centre, he forged his own path and used his ancestry to play for Scotland. He led them to a 27-13 win over the Wallabies two years ago.
Kailea, a Waratahs loosehead prop, came off the bench in that 2024 match. Tuipulotu scored a try.
"If I get the chance again, I'd love to get a win over him," Kailea said.
Cousins in all but name
The two grew up in the same close-knit Tongan community in Melbourne. Kailea said their fathers, both of Tongan heritage, met in the city, and several other Tongan families were part of the group.
"We pretty much just call each other cousins," Kailea said. He also knows Tuipulotu's younger brothers, Sese and Tavi. Tavi, a hooker, plays alongside his brother at Glasgow Warriors, and Sese, a centre, is at Edinburgh Rugby.
Kailea described the backyard games as "a lot of pretty rough games". Tuipulotu, the oldest of the kids, was "always the leader".
"He used to run amok — he'd smash us to bits," Kailea said. "The younger kids just followed his lead, and the leadership he showed there is something I can see him doing now with Scotland."
A journey through Japan to Scotland
The younger boys saw Tuipulotu as a role model, Kailea said, especially once he played for the Melbourne Rebels. His path then took him through Japan and on to Scotland.
"It was a bit tough for him in Australia, he went on his own little journey," Kailea said. "His brothers are over here as well, chasing the dream."
Kailea expects a fierce opponent. "Sione's probably one of the most competitive people I know, so when he puts on that Scottish jersey, he's going to give it 100 per cent," he said.
He could not say whether Tuipulotu goes harder because the opponent is Australia. "I just know he's always putting in that effort, especially now he's their captain."
In 2024, Tuipulotu played like a man with something to prove, Kailea said. "He can be pretty lippy on the field, just like he is off it, so he was throwing a bit of chat, but nothing too crazy."
Tuipulotu collected the match trophy from his Scottish gran, Jaqueline Thomson. He was also flattened by a tackle from Wallabies player Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii that caused an arm injury to the Australian. "I've never been hit like that in my career," Tuipulotu said afterward.
