British & Irish Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu has praised Garry Ringrose but highlighted the impact of another more familiar teammate following the Lions’ emphatic 54–7 win over the Western Force in Perth.
Tuipulotu, starting at inside centre for the first time on tour, formed a new midfield pairing with Ireland’s Ringrose – and was impressed with the Dubliner’s sharp defensive edge.
“Loved it [playing with Ringrose]. Jeez mate, he’s a missile out there, isn’t he. He backed himself to make those reads. He left a few sore bodies out, including himself.
Ringrose crossed for a second-half try and was typically tidy in defence, with Tuipulotu noting how well they linked up with each other.
“What a player. Really enjoyed playing with him.”
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He also had a word for more Glasgow teammate Huw Jones, who came off the bench in the second half.
“I really enjoyed when he came on and got some valuable minutes having been out for a while now. We’re linking quite nicely. We’ve just got to keep building before the Test.
“I’ve got massive growth to do on this tour,” said Tuipulotu, who is relatively fresh back from a long-term injury. “I’m still getting my feet back underneath me.”
However, it was another familiar teammate who really impressed the Glasgow centre.
Scotland teammate Russell made his first start of the tour and was at the heart of several of the Lions’ best attacking moments, including two early tries from Dan Sheehan and Tomos Williams.
Tuipulotu said the fly-half’s influence was clear.
“I thought Finn coming into the line-up helped a lot. I’ve played a lot of rugby with Finn so that combination doesn’t need to be worked on and I thought we linked well out there and he controlled the game well.”
The Lions backline looked significantly more fluid in attack than it had against Argentina, with Tuipulotu crediting Russell’s presence and tempo for bringing the unit to life.
“He’s a world-class No.10. He’s been here, been there, done that. He’s come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought he and Tomos controlled the game really well.
“We were able to move the ball like we talked about during the week and like I said, we’re still growing. There’s a lot of growth left in us. I thought with the identity at least, you could see how we’re trying to play the game.”
The win eases pressure on Andy Farrell’s side following their opening defeat and sets them up for next week’s clash against Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
