Sione Tuipulotu hit Aussie sledging out of the park then predicted more underhand tactics from the Wallabies. And New Zealand-born wing James Lowe joined his Lions team-mate as the tourists hit back at the hosts’ jibes before Saturday’s 54-7 win over Western Force.
The duo were two of four stars targeted by the announcer at Perth’s Optus Stadium – with wing Mack Hansen and prop Pierre Schoeman the others – for being born in the southern hemisphere. But Tuipulotu, a native of Victoria down under, hit that for six before telling the rest of the party to expect more barbs from the hosts as the countdown to the first Test on July 19 continues.
The 28-year-old said: “I knew there would be some ‘good humour’ coming back home to Australia. These are all things we’ve got to take in our stride.
“To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don’t know how funny that gag is to everyone! But I’m loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I’m really passionate about it.”
Lowe, born in Nelson but now an Irish citizen added: “‘Hopefully a few more Kiwis or Saffas play next week and we can keep the same gag going if we keep on getting the same result.
“I’ve been slagged my whole life, my whole career, it doesn’t matter where I go, I seem to get slagged so they can say what they want.”
The PA announcer had said: “Our former Aussie at No. 14, Mack Hansen. Another Aussie at No. 12, Sione Tuipulotu. At No.11, it’s the Kiwi now Irishman, James Lowe. At prop, the former SA schoolboy now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman.”
It added to comments by Wallaby boss Joe Schmidt ahead of the game against Argentina in Dublin when he described a Tuipulotu/Bundee Aki centre partnership as ‘the southern hemisphere midfield’.
And Australian motormouth David Campese has weighed on the tourists eight players born south of the equator called them the ‘British & Irish and Pacific Island Lions’.
It was water off a duck’s back to Tuipulotu whose partnership with Finn Russell gave a hint to what Lions fans can expect to see in the Test series.
The pair have played together for Scotland for four years and it showed at the Optus Stadium with fly-half Russell running the show.