A SCOTLAND rugby star whose Greenock granny helped him earn a place in the national side is raring to go ahead of the country’s crunch World Cup opener this weekend.

Centre Sione Tuipulotu – who qualifies for the Scotland side through his Greenock-born grandmother Jaqueline Thomson – gave an emotional interview ahead of his team’s clash with reigning world champions South Africa tomorrow.

The Australian-born international says he won’t need any extra motivation for the crunch fixture beyond knowing that his mother will be watching him in person for the first time since he left his country of birth in 2019.

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Since his move from Japanese side Yamaha Júbilo to his current club Glasgow Warriors in the summer of 2021, the 26-year-old has cemented a starting place in Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend’s side.

His successful partnership with fellow Warriors player Huw Jones in this year’s Six Nations saw the pair named in the team of the tournament.

The talented player apologised to journalists on Thursday as he welled up with tears when describing the journey his mother Angelina had taken to support him on the sport’s biggest stage.

Greenock Telegraph: Sione Tuipulotu

He said: “My mum got here yesterday, and it will be the first time she’ll have watched me play rugby for quite a while.

“I had a chat with her yesterday when she got to Paris.

“It was quite an emotional phone call, she just said how proud she was.

“Obviously it’s her mum that is part of my Scottish heritage and she said she is really proud when she sees me during the anthem and hears the background in terms of Murrayfield, the noise and stuff like that (while watching on television).

“I can’t really imagine how she is going to feel this weekend with the noise in Marseille when I’m playing the world champions.

“That is part of my motivation this week, I don’t need any extra motivation because my mum is over and she hasn’t seen me play for a while.”

Tuipulotu has previously hailed the role his Greenock grandmother Jacqueline played in his upbringing, telling our sister title the Herald that he had a deep emotional connection to Scotland thanks to her.

He said at the time: “I’m really close with my grandma and she has a thick Scottish accent so I always knew I was Scottish.

“But the possibility of coming over here only got real for me when I was about 21 or 22.

“That’s when my manager made it clear to me that Scottish Rugby were keen to possibly get me over. 

“I think the timing just matched up perfectly for where I was with my rugby, where I was with my enjoyment levels, and where I wanted to go next.

“I’m happy I’ve made that decision.”