FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England Training - Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, Britain - November 19, 2024 England head coach Steve Borthwick during training Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - England coach Steve Borthwick names his Six Nations squad on Tuesday and although it is a long shot for Kepu Tuipulotu to be included it surely won't be long until the 19-year-old takes the next step on his path to becoming the country's next hooker.
Borthwick was at Northampton to see Tuipulotu make his Premiership debut for Bath off the bench for the final nine minutes on Sunday, but the coach already knew all about him having invited the teenager to England's Pennyhill Park training centre to get a feel of the senior set-up last Autumn.
Despite captaining England's under-18s, Tuipulotu also qualifies for Wales and Tonga and it would be a huge blunder, albeit unlikely, if the RFU let him to slip through their net.
The son of former Tonga scrumhalf Sione, Tuipulotu was born in Pontypool, his sister Sisilia is a Welsh international and cousin Carwyn plays in Wales for the Scarlets.
He attended Harrow School and starred at the London Irish Academy, helping them win the 2023 under-18s national championship.
Jack Pattinson, head of the Academy at the time but now with Saracens, said he recognised he was dealing with something special from the off.
"He was an under-14 and I genuinely remember him catching the eye within 5-10 minutes, a feeling that 'this guy is so skilful,' Pattinson told Reuters.
"We put him straight into the under-15s, literally after one night, which is pretty rare, and I remember thinking to myself, 'I don't know how I make this guy technically more competent, he ticks so many of the boxes that you try to coach.'
"His timing, his movement and around the ball - he was just so dominant. That sticks with you because 99% of the time, everyone needs help with some sort of skill, but he was just so competent very, very early.
"I vividly remember that thinking, 'wow, I can't actually see any fault or anything to really go after to help him, which is quite a weird feeling at 14 years old."
'SUPER-EXCITING'
Tuipulotu would not have been the first teenager, especially of Pacific island heritage, whose early physical development enabled him to overwhelm "normal sized" opponents but he was anything but a flat-track bully.
"I've heard people ask those questions of him each time he's gone up an age group, but each time he continued to dominate and it was lazy to say he is just fully-developed," Pattinson said.
"His understanding was outstanding from such a young age. He knows the game deeply. But I think what's best about Keps is he's actually a brilliant lad and there isn't an ego. He's so open, so humble, he's so curious about getting better. Super-exciting, isn't it?"
Tuipulotu was similarly impressive during his time at England under-18s, scoring a trademark try in a victory over Ireland on his first start.
That score showcased his extraordinary talent - a mixture of front-row strength in his upper body and the most dextrous, evasive high-speed step.
Think baby rhino on the charge crossed with desperate gazelle trying to elude a chasing cheetah and you have a combination that makes Tuipulotu almost unstoppable at close range.
This season he began life at Bath University, studying sports management, as part of its link with Bath Rugby's Academy, and was soon making his mark, twice scoring hat-tricks in the hyper-competitive British Universities League.
His student appearances look likely to be few and far between, however, after a more-than-impressive start to his club career.
In the Premiership Cup he scored five tries in three games and then made a late replacement appearance in the European Champions Cup.
His involvement against Northampton last week kept him out of the initial England squad for the U20 Six Nations but he looks sure to be involved next month.
The logical step for the usually conservative Borthwick would be to continue to monitor Tuipulotu's development in the age-group set up as he gains experience with Bath, with a possible view to inclusion on England's summer tour of Argentina which, with British & Irish Lions players absent represents the ideal development opportunity.
However, though it might seem ludicrously premature for a teenager with less than 10 minutes' Premiership experience under his belt, with an eye on the 2027 World Cup Borthwick might yet be tempted to take the long view and fast-track a player who is clearly a generational talent.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
