Edinburgh: Taniela Tupou has dreamed his whole life of becoming a Wallaby and after a three-year wait to become eligible for Australia, the good news was all too much for the 21-year-old on a freezing cold afternoon in Scotland.
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"I was in tears," said Tupou, who is known to most by his nickname - Tongan Thor. "I'm lost for words. I actually don't know what to say. I just found out today that I'm playing, in the team meeting.
"The first thing that came to my mind was my family. Growing up in Tonga as a young kid, all I wanted to do was to play for Australia one day and now I can do that this weekend. I can't wait, I just wish my family was here. I know my team will have my back, so I can't wait."
Michael Cheika has named Tupou on the bench for Australia's last match of the spring tour just two days after the prop qualified to play for the Wallabies after sitting out a three-year residency requirement from World Rugby.
Tupou toured with the national team last year but only in a development capacity and since then has chalked up another 14 games for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby.
"He's a very strong bloke," said Wallabies captain Michael Hooper. "He's very impressive not only in the gym but around the field. He goes about his business well.
"He was a bit shocked when he got selected today. The rest of the boys weren't because of the stuff he's been doing at training, the hard work he's been putting in and the impression he's given us of what he can do has been really impressive. Stoked for him to come this far and develop into a potential Wallaby on the weekend."
Tupou made a name for himself as a schoolboy when YouTube videos circulated of a young bulldozing forward with the world at his feet.
"I grew up in Tonga, always watching the Wallabies play," Tupou said. "[I would] watch guys like Squeak [Stephen Moore] and Sekope Kepu and Tatafu [Polota-Nau] and some of the older guys.
"I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to go study in New Zealand but it didn't change me wanting to play for Australia and I'm grateful and I can't wait to get out there and play on Saturday."
Tupou has crafted his game at Super Rugby level and in the NRC, where his Queensland Country side won the title this year.
Hooper laughed when asked if he'd even encountered the Tongan Thor's brute force in a game.
"Yeah I have and it was lucky he didn't get a run-up," Hooper said. "He's a big unit and he loves that part of the game. He loves the collisions. It's going to be a good challenge for him in the set-piece.
"Hopefully we can see him with a bit of ball in hand or with some guys running at him."
