General Christian Tuipulotu

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Christian Tuipulotu
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Brothers, Christian and Sione Tuipulotu from St Paul's College have signed with the Warriors till the end of 2018.

Christian has been involved in the HPU camps the Bulldogs have been running in Auckland.

 

[AlexM]

Boom schoolboy Christian Tuipulotu hunted by NRL and rugby clubs
NRL PREMIERSHIP

Christian Tuipulotu representing New Zealand.Source: Instagram
MEET the 16-year-old New Zealand schoolboy being chased by NRL and Super Rugby clubs on both sides of the Tasman.

Christian Tuipulotu is so talented he has been part of the Warriors system since a young age but is coming off-contract, opening the door for an eye-popping battle for his signature.

Almost every club in the NRL is chasing him.

A centre who looks equally at home in the back row, Tuipulotu started meeting with potential suitors last week.

In fact, foxsports.com.au can reveal the Roosters flew the prospect to Queenstown to join the team while they were in New Zealand for a pre-season training camp.

The meetings will continue with both codes this month.

Christian Tuipulotu spends time with the Roosters.Source: Instagram

Christian Tuipulotu joins the Roosters in Queenstown.Source: Instagram

While he’s a strong defender, it’s his late footwork at the line which has clubs so excited.

A similar player to Kiwi international Tohu Harris, aside from his freakish talents, his leadership qualities are equally impressive.

While his manager Daniel O’Loughlin was reluctant to discuss his client’s future, he did confirm there’s been no shortage of interest in the young gun.

“He’s with the Warriors and in his last year at school,” O’Loughlin told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s fielding interest but that’s not our priority at the moment.”

Christian Tuipulotu representing New Zealand.Source: Facebook

A cross-code star, Tuipulotu captained the New Zealand under 16s last season, claiming the Auckland player of the year award for the second straight year.

A product of famed New Zealand rugby league school St Paul’s College, Warriors general manager Brian Smith has started talks to keep the gun in Auckland.

“We’re reluctant to discuss contracts in the public domain,” Smith told foxsports.com.au.

“What I will say is we are vitally interested in him. His brother is already part of our club. We’re keen for him to join his brother.”

Christian Tuipulotu representing the Warriors.Source: Instagram

Tuipulotu has also dabbled in rugby, playing first 15s at college.

That opened the door to the Auckland Blues where he was recently involved with their academy squad.

While the Super Rugby franchise is keen on the gun, who’ll celebrate his 17th birthday this month, it’s understood they’re resigned to not being able to compete with cashed up NRL clubs.

Earlier this month, Tuipulotu was named as a finalist for the NZRL under 16s player of the year.

On Monday, he was declared the winner.

Christian Tuipulotu claims the NZRL under 16s player of the year.Source: Instagram

Christian Tuipulotu playing for the Kiwis under 16s.Source: Instagram

Not only has Tuipulotu been blessed with freakish talents on the field, he’s also academically gifted.

With the young man’s studies of the utmost importance, O’Loughlin stressed there’s no hurry to finalise his future.

“Finishing school is the priority,” he said. “We’ll make a call on his future in due course.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/b94cc6fcba036c13e94f189dab93d711

 

[razzrillinger]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/b94cc6fcba036c13e94f189dab93d711

Making Cordner look small when you're 16 years old haha.

This signing kids stuff is such a minefield. There's offers and opportunities popping up left right and centre for them. I could barely keep up when I read that article so god knows how him and his family feel about what to do.

 

[Sup42]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/b94cc6fcba036c13e94f189dab93d711

The saying goes we can't keep them all.

Real shame a local Junior that defends well is likely to go.

The Warriors need these defensive naturals more than the next Shaun Johnson.

That's a real footballer.

The tradition of league has always been that it produces the better defenders of the rugby codes.

A real footballer ( in league terms) is someone who is good at taking people down hard.

Real men with inbuilt bravery.

Hard working class athletes that will tackle till they drop dead.

The Auckland team was full of of them.

The Warriors changed that by worshiping people that can run.

If you are looking for a root cause of all the Warriors ills it is this:

They exchanged footballers for entertainers....As Pink Floyd lamented.....cold comfort for change.....a walk on part in the War for a lead roll in a (media) cage.

 

[Tony Martin]

Only here at the warriors would we lose Payne haas, etene nanai and Christian Tuipulotu in the space of 18 months

 

[mt.wellington]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/b94cc6fcba036c13e94f189dab93d711

Watched a lot of Christian last year including his game for the NZ U16 in Rotorua. Was playing for the same U16 Ellerslie Eagles team that saw 13 of their players get signed to NRL teams. First seen him play at the Luke Tipene Memorial game at the Bears club. He's young but he's fucking awesome. You know when you see a kid play and he is just so much more advanced than other players that you know he's a special talent. Christian Tuipulotu is that kid. His situational awareness and reflexes are phenomenal. Seems to have the necessary reaction for every action and makes it look like he's playing with more time than those around him. Head and shoulders the best junior backline player I saw last season. Honestly going to be a name you hear more of in time.

He actually went under the Warriors nose and signed for the Auckland Blues development squad last year. Not sure what happened but I emailed the club about. Didn't want to see him go elsewhere. He's got that All Blacks dream but the money on offer and what that could mean for his family may sway him to stay in league.

Be a huge loss if we lose him...

 

[ForTheLoveOfGod]

Only here at the warriors would we lose Payne haas, etene nanai and Christian Tuipulotu in the space of 18 months

Yep because they built a club based on rising to mediocrity and they crashed and burned at that, choosing to drink sloppy shit out of champagne glasses instead. Choose a bunk squad for several seasons, made captain average a club icon and subsequently never played finals football again. The club is a train-wreck with rotting bodies being photographed in seven hundred Canterbury jerseys every season yet if you think watson probably just fancied watching a few brown boys changing in the sheds it adds up because he is clearly paying them to perform like ladyboys.

 

[mt.wellington]

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[brightman]

mt.wellington where is Christian placed currently with the Warriors(ARL)..

 

[Wellington Warrior]

mt.wellington where is Christian placed currently with the Warriors(ARL)..

I’d say nowhere judging by Mt Welly’s post...

 

[Tony Martin]

Not really surprised tbh. The kid is a gun. I’m sure there’s also a lot of nrl clubs after him for next year and onwards. More surprising how Players were selected to trial from a rugby league school

 

[Run_it_str8]

Let's hope if he's gone that Sully gets us the latest greatest version.

As we know though, winning and discrete brown paper bags are great recruitment tools.

 

[mt.wellington]

Not really surprised tbh. The kid is a gun. I’m sure there’s also a lot of nrl clubs after him for next year and onwards. More surprising how Players were selected to trial from a rugby league school

He played 1st XV didn't he?

Not surprised if we don't get to re-sign him. He is literally the hottest 17yo prospect in Australasia. There wouldn't be many NRL or Super clubs not trying to sign the kid. If he does go with union you can bet the All Blacks machine was right behind the move. Expect to see him hobnobbing with the ABs camp soon enough. Only thing the Warriors will have in their favour is its home and the money. No Super team can match any salary the NRL could offer him...

 

[Run_it_str8]

He played 1st XV didn't he?

Not surprised if we don't get to re-sign him. He is literally the hottest 17yo prospect in Australasia. There wouldn't be many NRL or Super clubs not trying to sign the kid. If he does go with union you can bet the All Blacks machine was right behind the move. Expect to see him hobnobbing with the ABs camp soon enough. Only thing the Warriors will have in their favour is its home and the money. No Super team can match any salary the NRL could offer him...

The All Blacks have a better brand for lack of a better word. But at least management were tough enough to say it out loud and start to increase the Warriors branding and getting good people in place at staffing and management levels to help effect those changes.

 

[Tony Martin]

He played 1st XV didn't he?

Not surprised if we don't get to re-sign him. He is literally the hottest 17yo prospect in Australasia. There wouldn't be many NRL or Super clubs not trying to sign the kid. If he does go with union you can bet the All Blacks machine was right behind the move. Expect to see him hobnobbing with the ABs camp soon enough. Only thing the Warriors will have in their favour is its home and the money. No Super team can match any salary the NRL could offer him...

We also have the fact that his brother is playing for the juniors and probably a lot of mates he has played rep footy with.
Yeh looks like he is playing for the 1st XV in the 1B Comp with other year 13s. Looks like there top league team is filled with year 12s and younger. Not surprised as you have a better chance getting picked up by scouts in both codes playing Auckland 1st XV rugby.
Hopefully Peter O’Sullivan can work his magic. Put him straight into the ISP team and offer to put him through Uni. We can’t let this kid go

 

[playdaball]

Now signed for the Blues U18 side. This being Auckland not NSW.

 

[mt.wellington]

Now signed for the Mighty Blues U18 side. This being Auckland not Mighty NSW Mighty Blues.

Thats a big loss not only for the Warriors but league in general. Kids an amazing athlete. Pretty gutted about that...

 

[mt.wellington]

Now signed for the Mighty Blues U18 side. This being Auckland not Mighty NSW Mighty Blues.

Are you sure its not just the Auckland Blues 1st XV camp next week? I know he was selected to train there...

 

[mt.wellington]

Asked around and he is still signed to the Warriors. He has just been selected to attend a U18 Auckland camp at Mt Albert Grammar as one of the elite Auckland/Northland 1st XV players. Only a 3 day camp with a game against the Hurricanes on the 3rd day. Another kid, Chay Fihaki, who goes to Sacred Heart is going and he is signed to the Newcastle Knights...

 

[Otto Sump]

Someone make sure he reads this article...

Rugby: The biggest killer for the Blues' reputation
4 Jul, 2018 3:07pm

Akira Ioane of the Blues. Photo / Getty

It was the same when Kieran Read was off contract in early 2017. He was never going to leave the Crusaders or give the prospect a single thought.

Ben Smith, born and bred in Dunedin, has never been on the market in New Zealand.

He looked at offshore clubs in early 2017, but once he knew he was staying in New Zealand, it was only ever going to be with the Highlanders.

The best players in the country don't waver when it comes to making a commitment to their Super Rugby club.

The likes of Barrett, Read, Smith, Dane Coles, Aaron Smith, Ryan Crotty, Owen Franks, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock have never felt the need to ask whether it would be better for their respective careers to switch Super Rugby allegiance.

The Blues, as is often the case, are the exception. For the last decade, maybe longer, there has never been a guarantee that their best players would automatically re-sign.

There is some kind of subliminal pressure on the best Blues players to consider shifting if they are serious about getting the best out of themselves.

That was evident early this week when Hurricanes coach-elect John Plumtree revealed that Blues loose forward Akira Ioane had been touted around the country.

Born and bred in Auckland, Ioane came through all the age-grade representative teams in the city and first played for the Blues in 2015.

He is seen as an integral part of the Blues' future, a local boy with the explosive physique and skills to be a world-class performer and yet he entered serious negotiations with the Hurricanes about shifting there.

"He was made available to every franchise in the country a little while ago and I'm sure there were a lot of clubs interested in Akira, like we were, but we believe he's staying at the Blues," said Plumtree.

The Blues had the red carpet rolled out for him, but still Ioane needed to ask whether he could be the player he wants to be by staying there.

It's a delicate business because it is obvious now that promising players fear they will be judged for lacking ambition if they opt to stay with the Blues.

Ioane has played his way to the cusp of the All Blacks but can't find the last components he needs to crack the squad.

There are plenty of good judges who now wonder whether Ioane has made the wrong choice by staying – given the impression he's opted to stay in his comfort zone where his bad habits will be tolerated.

If he was serious about making the All Blacks surely he would have moved? That seems to be the inference and it is one which is a killer for the Blues' reputation.

And that ultimately is what should trouble the Blues most - is this growing sentiment that the club restricts the potential growth of local superstars who can only fix their flaws by getting away.

Barrett stays with the Hurricanes and everyone says good choice; Ioane turns them down and plenty wonder whether he has done the wrong thing.

This sense of players underselling themselves by staying at the Blues is presumably a consequence of continued dire results and underperformance.

It hasn't helped that the likes of Waisake Naholo and Malakai Fekitoa were barely used when they were at the Blues and both encouraged to leave.

A year after Fekitoa moved to the Highlanders he was an All Black and two years later Naholo followed him into the national squad after spending a season playing sevens and then joining the Highlanders.

Ioane has made his commitment to the Blues but the fact he flirted with the Hurricanes isn't a great advert for the club and doesn't bode well for their future retention prospects.