Rising Star Sisilia Tuipulotu Leads Wales Women’s Rugby to Victory
Sisilia Tuipulotu, the young Welsh rugby player, has been making headlines lately for her standout performances on the field. During the Women’s Six Nations match, she was named the best player of the game as she helped lead Wales to a resounding 31-5 victory. This marked her first Test start at tighthead prop, a year after making her debut off the bench in a different position.
At the young age of 19, Sisilia Tuipulotu is among the exclusive group of 25 Wales Women players who have been granted full-time WRU contracts for this year. Given her impressive rugby lineage, it is no wonder that she is thriving under a professional regime. Tuipulotu’s father, Sione, played for Tonga and Newport, while she has notable cousins in Wales centurion Taulupe Faletau, England duo Mako and Billy Vunipola, and Scarlets back-rower Carwyn Tuipulotu.
During the recent match against Ireland, Tuipulotu’s strength as a Gloucester-Hartpury forward became evident at scrum time, which the Irish team struggled to counter. Despite having a score disallowed, she promptly scored Wales’ fifth try of the afternoon. Additionally, Tuipulotu had an outstanding performance, making just one missed tackle and completing nine carries, the most of anyone on her team.
Despite her already impressive performance, Tuipulotu’s head coach, Ioan Cunningham, believes she can be even better. He predicts that she has the potential to be world-class once she masters the technicalities of the position.
Tuipulotu, who is known for her humility, is grateful for the chances she has been given and is still learning every day. Her shy disposition means she prefers not to talk about her progress, but her teammates have nothing but praise for her. Veteran back-row Sioned Harries says that Tuipulotu will be world-class, while Tuipulotu aims to be the best prop she can be.
What makes Tuipulotu’s rise to stardom all the more remarkable is that she has only been playing rugby for three years. She switched from netball to rugby while at Hereford Sixth Form College after being invited to play rugby by a coach there.
Tuipulotu is currently studying psychology at the University of Gloucestershire while playing for Gloucester-Hartpury in the Prem 15s, England’s top division of women’s rugby.
Despite her success, Tuipulotu remains grounded and encourages other Welsh girls with dreams of playing for the national team to “just keep playing rugby wherever you are.”
As she continues to make a name for herself on the rugby field, Tuipulotu is poised to become one of the sport’s brightest stars. Her combination of skill, humility, and determination is sure to take her far.
