Isaac Kailea and Sione Tuipulotu's friendly rivalry will resume in Scotland. ( Getty Images )
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu grew up playing footy with Wallabies prop Isaac Kailea in Melbourne.
Kailea described Tuipulotu as someone he looked up to, but said "he can be pretty lippy on the field, just like he is off it".
The Wallabies face Scotland at Murrayfield on Monday morning (2:10am AEDT) in the second of three Tests in the United Kingdom.
Sione Tuipulotu used to smash Isaac Kailea in their Melbourne backyard battles, but Wallabies prop Kailea hopes to get revenge when his "lippy" cousin leads out Scotland at Murrayfield.
Tuipulotu is another who got away from Australian rugby, a centre who forged his own path before using his ancestry to become Scotland's Aussie braveheart, an inspirational captain who led them to victory over the Wallabies two years ago.
None of which surprises his old mate Kailea, who as a kid always looked up to the guy he saw as a role model in their close-knit Tongan community in Melbourne.
It is also why Sunday's (Monday AEDT) international also means so much to 26-year-old Kailea, who came off the bench in that 2024 clash when Tuipulotu scored a try in the Scots' 27-13 victory .
"If I get the chance again, I'd love to get a win over him," Waratahs loosehead Kailea said, reflecting on the close bond between his family and the Tuipulotu brothers, Sione and younger rugby-playing siblings Sese and Tavi.
Tuipulotu toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions last year. ( Getty Images: Chris Hyde )
"Sione's probably one of the most competitive people I know, so when he puts on that Scottish jersey, he's going to give it 100 per cent.
"Whether he goes extra hard because we're Australia, I couldn't say. I just know he's always putting in that effort, especially now he's their captain.
"I know him quite well. I grew up with him and his younger brothers, we pretty much just call each other cousins. Our dads, both of Tongan heritage, met in Melbourne, and there's a couple of other Tongan families there we all grew up with.
"So a lot of boys, a lot of pretty rough games in the backyard, but Sione was always the leader among the kids, as the oldest. We played a couple of times in the backyard. He used to run amok — he'd smash us to bits.
"The younger kids just followed his lead, and the leadership he showed there is something I can see him doing now with Scotland. Even the way he talks, it's still the same. It's pretty cool to see."
Kailea said the rest of the younger boys saw saw Tuipulotu as a role model, especially once he played for the Melbourne Rebels.
Kailea has joined his "cousin" on the international stage. ( AAP Image: Joel Carrett )
"It was a bit tough for him in Australia, he went on his own little journey, through Japan, and now he's ended up in Scotland, and his brothers are over here as well, chasing the dream," Kailea said.
Hooker Tavi plays alongside Tuipulotu at Glasgow Warriors and centre Sese is at Edinburgh Rugby.
"It's pretty crazy to be honest," Kailea said.
In that 2024 clash, Tuipulotu played like a man with something to prove.
"He can be pretty lippy on the field, just like he is off it, so he was throwing a bit of chat, but nothing too crazy. I don't think he'd get too disrespectful," smiled Kailea, recalling how Tuipulotu collected the match trophy off his Scottish gran, Jaqueline Thomson.
He also got flattened by a thunderous tackle from Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii in that match which actually caused an arm injury to the Australian and left Tuipulotu reflecting: "I've never been hit like that in my career."
