'He is desperate to be there': Mental demons linger in bid to reignite Wallabies trump card
If anyone is able to coax the best out of Taniela Tupou this season it will be Allan Alaalatoa.
The two Wallabies tighthead props are technically rivals for the gold No.3 jersey but are close mates with plenty in common.
Tupou, 29, has played 58 Tests for Australia and Alaalatoa, 31, is the second most experienced player in Joe Schmidt's squad with 80 caps to his name.
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Allan Alaalatoa poses during a Wallabies visit to Stanmore Public School. Getty
Both have experienced the agony of a ruptured Achilles tendon, one of the most devastating injuries a rugby player can suffer.
But particularly for a tighthead, whose core job is anchoring scrums that put enormous pressure through the area.
"For me personally, it took a little while, for sure," Alaalatoa - who missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup because of the injury - told Wide World of Sports.
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Allan Alaalatoa of the Wallabies leaves the field injured. Getty
"Like you go through the whole rehab process and you do all the physical tests and you know it's good. But then it's all those mental battles when you're going back into a scrum and playing under fatigue.
"Then there's the game after game after game, and you get put in different scenarios and into similar pictures of how you did it in the first place."
Alaalatoa was carted off the MCG field after rupturing the tendon in a scrum that went wrong against the All Blacks.
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He is now in career best form after a superb season with the ACT Brumbies and will likely start against the Lions.
"There's plenty of mental barriers there and you've got to trust your support staff, but also in yourself as well, that you've done everything you can to put yourself in the best position to perform," he explained.
"A large part of it also is it's a contact sport, so every time you lace up the boots, there's a potential that anything can happen, you know.
"Once you understand that's out of your hands, I think you're able then to go and play freely."
Tupou ruptured his Achilles against Ireland in Dublin at the end of 2022.
He has never quite recaptured his rampaging best form and spoke openly about a crisis of confidence during the NSW Waratahs season.
Taniela Tupou of Australia is taken from the pitch to receive medical attention. Getty
Fellow Test prop Angus Bell said last week the Wallabies would need Tupou at his best if they were to upset the Lions and Alaalatoa agreed.
"We all know the value that he brings when he's at his best, but I think more so when he's happy," Alaalatoa told WWOS.
"I think the coaches have a lot of faith in him and there's a lot of faith in the coaches that they can bring the best out of him.
"But in terms of someone like myself, who's a close mate of his, it's also a part of our job to make sure that he's enjoying the environment, that he's happy and that we can help try and bring the best out of his preparation and then hopefully into a game. I'd love to see big Nella at his best because I know that he will contribute massively to the jersey."
The Wallabies will assemble in Sydney on Sunday ahead of their July 6 Test against Fiji in Newcastle.
Coach Schmidt admitted he was unsure of Tupou's readiness for the magnitude of a Lions series.
"Yeah, I wish I could answer that," he told WWOS.
"Readiness is something that you don't really get a full feel for, until you've had a week or so with the players. We're on a very tight time frame.
"We play Fiji in two weeks. That's going to happen very, very quickly. We're going to try to ascertain what Taniela's mindset is once he's in the environment. I've had a good couple of conversations with Nella in the last week or so and we're confident that he's desperate to be there.
Taniela Tupou of the Waratahs celebrates scoring his team's third try. Getty
"He is desperate to be there, and beyond that, he's desperate to play well.
"So that's a good starting point."
The Lions open their tour against Argentina in Dublin on Saturday (AEST) before flying to Perth to prepare for a date with the Western Force on June 28.
WALLABIES SQUAD
Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, David Porecki, Tom Robertson, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Darcy Swain, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson
Backs: Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright
