Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu insists he and his teammates will show full respect for Fiji’s pre-match war dance when the teams clash at Murrayfield today.
The issue of pre-match rituals was a hot topic during the Autumn Tests after England propagandist Joe Marler claimed earlier this week that New Zealand’s Haka is ‘ridiculous’ and ‘should be thrown out’.
Although Marler has since apologized, his comments have attracted attention as England face the All Blacks at Twickenham this afternoon.
Scotland will face their own challenge when the Fijians perform their war dance known as the ‘Cibi’ before kick-off.
Tuipulotu, who has a Tongan father and is immensely proud of his family heritage, has stressed the importance of the opposition being given full respect.
Sione Tuipulotu says his teammates will respect Fiji’s war dance on Saturday
The 27-year-old will captain his country for the first time this weekend
He said: “I know it comes from rugby league and their reaction to the war dances. But I think people should first and foremost realize that the war dance is a sign of respect for the other team.
“It’s a ritual before you go into battle and if you think about it logically, if they didn’t respect you, they wouldn’t do the war dance because they don’t see you as a threat.
“It’s been a ritual in rugby for a hundred years, I don’t know, so I don’t know why it’s an issue now.
“For us, we have to confront the Fijian war dance and just deal with it as we have always done – and show our respect.
“We resist it too, we connect as a team, but I think there are ways to do that and not be disrespectful.”
Tuipulotu admitted this will be the proudest day of his career as he captains Scotland for the first time.
England’s Joe Marler (left) has apologized after calling for the Haka to be demolished. The All Blacks perform the war dance before every international match
However, when Gregor Townsend initially approached him about being skipper, the Glasgow Warriors man feared it was because he might have strayed out of line.
“Gregor came to Glasgow to talk to me,” Tuipulotu said. ‘The Scotland coaches often come to Glasgow every now and then to talk about how we are doing and what we need to do better.
‘We were in a big group and then he asked me to stay behind the group. To be honest, I thought I was in trouble.
“So I was a little worried about it. But then he basically just asked me how I would feel about the captaincy. I was a bit shocked, just because I didn’t expect it.
‘I have had good experiences in recent years as captain of Glasgow and as vice-captain of Scotland. It’s a huge honor, but I feel ready for it.
“It’s something special for me and my family to celebrate the journey and everything they’ve done to get me here. So yes, I’m very happy.’
Tuipulotu played a key role for Glasgow Warriors last season as they won the United Rugby Championship.
He has continued this form at the start of the new season and insists that this Scotland team is ready to achieve big results and challenge the future.
He also stressed that he remains committed to Glasgow despite his contract expiring next summer and being linked to English Premier League clubs.
“I’m just desperate to win,” said the 27-year-old.
Fiji are at Murrayfield this weekend aiming to start their Autumn Nations Series with a win
‘Really, I don’t think I had ever won anything in the URC before last year.
“After I won that, one thing became clear to me: I’m so desperate to win now. I tasted that I was winning with Glasgow.
“I feel the urgency in the room now with Scotland – the way we train, the way we prepare and with the guys that are in the group.
“I feel like there’s an urgency to win and win now. That’s where my mentality is now: I’m desperate to win.
“As far as my contract is concerned, at this point I definitely want to stay until the end.
‘I’ve got six months left at Glasgow and, as I said, I’m desperate to win and I really feel that Glasgow are a winning team at the moment and it’s nice to be playing rugby under Franco at the moment. [Smith].
“Yes, I’m happy where I am now and about the future after that. All I can say is I’m happy in Scotland, I’m happy in Glasgow.’
Scotland prop Zander Fagerson will make a late decision on whether he is available to play against Fiji today after missing training yesterday due to a personal problem.