Taulupe Faletau has a lot more to give despite being plagued by injuries during a brilliant career

When Taulupe Faletau’s childhood took him from the remote islands of Haʻapai in Tonga to the small Welsh town of Ebbw Vale, his life took a truly remarkable turn.

Back then, a seven-year-old Faletau surely wouldn’t have realized the magnitude of the change he was going through.

Nor could he have expected at the time that he would win 100 caps for Wales. But that’s what Faletau, now 32, will do on Saturday when Wales wrap up their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris.

It will represent a milestone in the game for the striker who has been one of Wales’ most consistent players for the past decade and longer since his Test debut in 2011.

Quiet and soft-spoken away from the countryside, Faletau dislikes the limelight and prefers to remain low-key, perhaps a result of his Pacific island upbringing.

However, there is no doubt that he has had a brilliant career worth praising as he prepares to bring a century of caps to his adopted country.

“It’s an incredible achievement for what he’s done in the game,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland, who gave Faletau his international bow.

You have been an amazing server for Wales. He’s still as quiet as ever and doesn’t say much. I can remember the early days when he came off the Dragons and never missed a training session. It was available every week. If you look at his record and how many times he started and played early in his career, that was pretty impressive.

‘He was unlucky at Bath with the number of injuries he picked up there. He has also been brilliant for the Lions. ‘It’s a great compliment to him and his family as well. They will be on Saturday. It’s something we have to celebrate and he needs to enjoy it.

“Hopefully the players will come out and act to make it special for him.”

Faletau moved to Wales to follow his father Kuli when he signed for Ebbw Vale in 1997. At the time, a large contingent of Tongan-born players were at Welsh clubs and naturally congregated due to their common bond and distance. From home.

A young Faletau would play junior rugby union with now England internationals Mako and Billy Vunipola, whose father Fe’ao worked in Pontypool.

Faletau and the Vunipola brothers refer to themselves as cousins, although that is not true in the conventional sense. Their mothers are distant cousins, but regardless, their closeness cannot be doubted. While the Vunipolas moved to England and wore a white jersey at international level, Faletau stayed with Wales.

The trio have gone head to head on several occasions. Faletau and Mako Vunipola have also been on several Lions tours.

Sportsmail recalls an occasion in 2013 when after Faletau’s Wales defeated Vunipolas’ England 30-3 to win that year’s Six Nations in Cardiff, the beaten side were told not to go out to the Welsh capital. Billy and Mako did it anyway, sneaking into a Cardiff nightclub through the kitchen to join Faletau and the Welsh celebrations.

Billy Vunipola hopes Faletau can celebrate his 100th Welsh cap in style with a glass of the expensive Japanese whiskey he sends him to mark the occasion.

“Toby has grown quite a bit since those days,” she said, recalling the childhood they shared together.

“We had dreams, but that was just to win one game in international rugby, never mind 100.

“To reach 100 caps given that his parents came to Wales from Tonga and the sacrifices they made to provide opportunities for all of Toby’s brothers and sisters is an incredible achievement.

He has been through bad periods with injuries, such as missing the World Cup in 2019. So reaching 100 caps is a testament to his hard work and resilience.

He is one of the true greats of Welsh rugby, one of its legends. There’s no doubt.

Faletau began his professional rugby career with the Dragons after playing for Cross Keys and his talents soon became apparent when he was launched into the 2011 World Cup as a rookie.

His ability to dodge has always been a strength. Faletau would have had more caps if he hadn’t suffered multiple injuries while he was at Bath’s English side.

Now with Cardiff, however, he reached a World Cup semi-final and won two Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam with Wales. Faletau has come a long way from the youngster who started out in international rugby with a giant afro. He also has five Lions caps to his name.

Faletau, whose full name is Tangaki Taulupe, was known as Toby for the sake of convenience. Billy Vunipola added: ‘Darren Barry was picked ahead of Toby for a big game against Hartpury College. I remember he walked away by himself and when he came back, he had those eyes that told me he had been crying. That’s how much it meant to him. Not playing devastated him.

“It was a really motivating point for him because from that point on, he was so determined and he took it out on the field.” I went to Harrow and the next thing I knew Toby was playing for Dragons with this huge afro! I thought, “Wow! and then shortly after he made his Welsh debut against the Barbarians and went on to the 2011 World Cup.

‘He had an incredible and fast rise. We used to play rugby games on PS2 and then all of a sudden I was playing in a World Cup for Wales.

“Since I grew up with him, he was always chatting and that’s how I knew he was so determined to make it big with his rugby career. The highest compliment I can pay him is to say that he is one of the most determined, resilient and mentally strong players I have ever met.

He is very motivated. He wants to play in the World Cup. His return to Wales was geared with that goal in mind. He missed the last World Cup with a clavicle injury and is highly motivated to be there in France later this year. If they select me, I would love to go to the World Cup together with Toby.’

At 32, Faletau is nearing the end of his career, but previous injuries mean he doesn’t have as many miles on his clock as other players his age. He still has a lot more to give.

Faletau will need to be at his best if Wales are to have a chance against France. His parents Kuli and Vika will be in Paris, as will his wife Charlotte and his two children. Faletau’s partner is the sister of former footballer Gareth Bale’s wife, Emma.

“Obviously he’s a shy old man,” said Justin Tipuric, a close friend of Faletau’s and a fellow Wales back-row player. I could talk about him all day. He really he is one of a kind of him.

‘I understand sharing a room with him now. He deserves everything he gets. He’ll be shying away after the game and he won’t want to do any of the initiations or make any fuss.

‘But we’ll make sure he has to, that’s for sure. Just run away from everything. He is crazy. He is very grounded. so laid back He probably could carry the world on his shoulders and people wouldn’t really know it. He always works hard and wants to get better and better.

“As a roommate he is perfect although he snores a bit. That’s the only bad thing I can give you. It’s very neat which I like. It is organized and neat.

S4C: 14:00 Saturday – Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol – France v Wales. Live coverage from the Stade de France of France v Wales in the Six Nations 2023.