TANIELA TUPOU BECAME an internet sensation almost overnight when footage emerged of the bruising prop showing serious skills and remarkable speed in Auckland schools rugby two years ago.

And he has already made the step up to the biggest league of all.

Tupou became known as the ‘Tongan Thor’ on the back of his devastating feats in New Zealand, which saw him secure a move to Australia to further his hopes of becoming a professional rugby player.

And the 20-year-old made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds against the Brumbies today, and it took him just 44 minutes to get over the whitewash after being introduced as a substitute just before half time.

However, he could do little to prevent the Reds from falling to a 43-24 defeat in a bitterly-cold Canberra.

The 130kg tighthead, who was born in Tonga but educated in New Zealand, has already declared his interest in playing for Australia rather than the All Blacks. And that led to him signing with the Brisbane-based Reds.

Tupou had been making his mark with Queensland’s underage sides in recent times which saw him get the call to make his Super Rugby debut.

We suspect we’ll be hearing plenty more about the heroics of the ‘Tongan Thor’ on the rugby field in years to come.

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