Glasgow Warriors will have seven hookers on their books next season with the recruitment of Ottavio Tuipulotu. Image: © Craig Watson –
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GLASGOW WARRIORS have signed Ottavio Tuipulotu – the youngest brother of Scotland captain Sione and of Edinburgh midfielder Mosese – on a two-year contract.
The arrival of the 21-year-old at Scotstoun will take the number of hookers on the books at the club up to seven. Johnny Matthews, Grant Stewart and Angus Fraser are currently on deals that run until at least next summer, and it is understood that the contract Gregor Hiddleston signed in Februay 2024 will also run out at the end of the upcoming 2025-26 season (although the details have not been released). Meanwhile, academy prospects Joe Roberts and Seb Stephen have been earmarked as two of the most promising prospects in the Scotland Under-20s team which recently competed at the Junior World Championship in Italy, with the latter having made an impressive Warriors debut against Leinster in May.
Edinburgh are also well stocked in this position with Dylan Richardson having joined fellow Scotland internationals Ewan Ashman and Patrick Harrison in the capital club’s senior squad for next season, while former Scotland Under-20s caps Harri Morris and Jerry Blyth-Lafferty should also be looking for some regular game-time during the campaign ahead.
TOL Pod: Episode 48: The MCG breakdown … and what’s going on with the Scotland Women’s team?
The Monday Bulletin (28th July): Aussies head to Bennetton and Farrell not going back on the tools
Tuipulotu makes the move north from the Waratahs, where he has been based since late 2024 following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels (who he signed for on a development contract in November 2023). According to a Waratahs spokesperson, he was not under contract with the franchise and has not played any competitive rugby for the Sydney-based outfit amid stiff competition including Wallabies hooker Dave Porecki, Ethan Dobbins, Mahe Vailanu (the younger brother of Glasgow forward Sione Vailanu) and Julian Heaven. The Waratahs have also recruited Crusaders Super Rugby title-winner Ioane Moananu across the Tasman for next season.
A Melbourne native, Tuipulotu was capped eight times by Australia Under-20s during 2023-24 having overcome two knee reconstruction surgeries before his 18th birthday. Like his brothers, he qualifies to play for Scotland through his Greenock-born grandmother.
“I’m really looking forward to moving to Glasgow,” said Tuipulotu. “I’ve been following the team for the last couple years and have seen how well they’ve been doing, not to mention how much the fans get around the boys.
“I’ve spoken to Nonz [Sione] about Glasgow a lot, and he’s just told me that while it’s different to home – especially being a lot colder than Australia! – the culture within the team and within the community in Glasgow is so strong.
“As soon as Glasgow sent me the contract offer, Sione was the first person I called, and he told me to pack my bags and join him up north!
“I spoke to [Warriors head coach] Franco Smith earlier in the year, too, mostly just speaking about how I was doing and how my rugby was going, as well as the possibility of moving up to Glasgow. I’m really looking forward to being able to work with Franco and the rest of the staff. I’ve seen how much work they’ve done for the players, and that’s shown on the field when the boys play.
“To be able to play at Scotstoun would be an unreal moment in my life. I’ve seen and heard how electric the fans are with the atmosphere they create, and how much they back our boys – I can’t wait to meet them all!”
Smith said: “Tavi is a player that we have been tracking for a while, and we’re pleased that he has decided to follow Sione in making the move north to continue his rugby journey with us.
“He brings dynamism in both attack and defence, as well as a real desire to work hard and learn from both the coaches and the players around him.
“We look forward to working closely with him upon his arrival at Scotstoun, as we continue to build towards the new season.”
The eldest Tuipulotu – Sione – has been a big hit since landing in Scotland in the summer of 2021, first with Glasgow Warriors, then with the national team after making his cap debut against Tonga that October (taking over as captain of the side ahead of the 2024 Autumn Tests) and then most recently with the British & Irish Lions in his native Australia this summer. He played in the first Test against the Wallabies two weekends ago, missed the second Test with a hamstring injury, but is back in the frame for this coming Saturday’s tour denouement in Sydney.
The 28-year-old centre signed a contract extension in November 2024 which will keep him at Warriors until the summer of 2026, having spoken just a few months earlier about his desire to have Ottavio join him and Mosese in Scotland.
“Genuinely, I think if my littlest brother comes over here, he might end up being better than me and my brother, my sister as well,” he said. “He had a really rough run with injuries – he had two knee reconstructions before he was 18 – but he’s really dedicated to his rugby.
“I don’t make any decisions for him, but if it was up to me, he would do one year there, try and get as much rugby under his belt in Sydney and then come over.
“Sess [Mosese] has been selling him that. We had a group FaceTime the other day and Sess was like: ‘Bro, it’s not what you think. I got to Edinburgh and it’s like Harry Potter here, bro. I should have come ages ago’.
“So it’s like Sess was trying to sell him the dream massively. But I can understand, when you’re on Bondi Beach you feel like your life’s pretty good. But I’m hoping to see him sooner rather than later.”
24-year-old Mosese signed for Edinburgh ahead of the 2024-25 season and featured in 16 out of 17 games for the capital club in his debut campaign and represented Scotland A versus Chile last November before suffering a a knee injury in early May which cut short his season and ruled him out of Scotland’s Skyscanner Pacific Tour this summer.
TOL Pod: Episode 48: The MCG breakdown … and what’s going on with the Scotland Women’s team?