Patrick Tuipulotu: ended the Blues' 21-year title wait on an injured knee, then captained the All Blacks

Two weeks before the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific final, the Blues captain came off against the Fijian Drua with a knee injury that was supposed to end his season. On 22 June 2024 he led the Blues out at a sold-out Eden Park, carried the ball all night, and lifted the trophy after a 41-10 win over the Chiefs that ended a 21-year wait for a Super Rugby title. Patrick Tuipulotu, the big, quietly spoken lock from St Peter's College, has 59 Tests for the All Blacks, captained them against Japan in 2024, and has spent more than a decade in the Blues pack, much of it as captain. This is the story of how he got there.

Where he comes from

Tuipulotu was born in Christchurch on 23 January 1993 and is of Samoan descent. He was schooled in Auckland, at St Peter's College, and he has played his club rugby for Ponsonby, the same club as his long-time Blues and All Blacks team-mate Rieko Ioane.

He was not always the giant he is now. He told the Otago Daily Times in 2014 that he had always been tall, "usually the tallest in the class but I was a skinny guy". The weight came in his fifth-form year, he said, when the St Peter's First XV began handing out gym programmes and free gym memberships. By the time he left school he had been picked for New Zealand Secondary Schools, according to the Blues' profile of him.

Auckland and the Under 20s

Tuipulotu played his first season for Auckland in the 2013 ITM Cup, though a broken jaw cut it to seven games. He scored one try. That year he was also in the New Zealand Under 20 side at the IRB Junior World Championship in France, where he played five games and scored a try.

Auckland would see him only in snatches after that, because the Blues and the All Blacks claimed most of his time, but he made his appearances count. He captained the province in 2017, and when he came back from four months out with a shoulder injury, he led Auckland against Tasman at Eden Park on 7 September 2018 and scored three tries in 12 minutes before half-time. Auckland won 36-10. That one game was enough to earn an All Blacks recall.

A fast start with the Blues

Injury gave him his chance. Culum Retallick hurt his knee at the start of 2014, and coach John Kirwan needed a lock. Tuipulotu played in the opening round against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, on 22 February 2014, and scored a try in a 29-21 loss. By May he and the veteran Tom Donnelly were the first-choice pairing, and the ODT noted that he was beating as many defenders as Jerome Kaino in less playing time. "I'm not looking to be protected too much," the 21-year-old said when asked whether he needed a rest.

He was named in an All Blacks training squad on 12 May 2014 and in the squad for the Steinlager Series against England on 1 June 2014. His Test debut came at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 14 June 2014, when he replaced Brodie Retallick with four minutes left of a 28-27 win. His first start followed on 1 November 2014 against the United States at Soldier Field, Chicago, and he played the full 80 minutes and scored in a 74-6 win. He finished his first international season with seven Tests.

Setbacks and comebacks

The next few years were a test of patience. Double hip surgery in 2015 cost him a place at the World Cup in England, and a hand injury disrupted his 2016 Super Rugby season. He came back off the bench in the first two Tests against Wales in June 2016, starting with a 39-21 win at Eden Park on 11 June 2016, then made his first Rugby Championship start against Argentina at Velez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires, on 1 October 2016, a 36-17 win. A week after starting against Ireland at Soldier Field on 5 November 2016 (29-40), he scored his second Test try in a 68-10 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, on 12 November 2016.

In 2017 he returned for the back half of the Rugby Championship and the northern tour. He started against a French XV in Lyon on 14 November 2017 and scored in a 28-23 win, then started the final Test of the year against Wales at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 25 November 2017, a 33-18 win.

That Auckland hat-trick in September 2018 brought him back into the Rugby Championship, and he scored off the bench against Argentina in Buenos Aires on 29 September 2018 (35-17). He started both Tests he played on that year's northern tour: a 69-31 win over Japan at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, on 3 November 2018 and a 66-3 win over Italy in Rome on 24 November 2018.

Captain of the Blues, and a World Cup

New Blues coach Leon MacDonald named Tuipulotu co-captain for 2019 with loose forward Blake Gibson. The Blues' profile describes that season as "immense", and it carried him onto the plane for his first World Cup, in Japan. He played five Tests there: off the bench in the 23-13 win over South Africa at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, on 21 September 2019, a start against Canada at Oita Stadium on 2 October 2019 (63-0), the 71-9 win over Namibia at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, on 6 October 2019, the semi-final loss to England in Yokohama on 26 October 2019 (7-19), and the bronze final, a 40-17 win over Wales at the same ground on 1 November 2019.

From 2020 he was the Blues' sole captain. He was named the club's Most Valuable Player that year, was nominated for Super Rugby player of the year, and led the North Island in the revived inter-island match at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on 5 September 2020. The South won 38-35. He started four of the All Blacks' six Tests in 2020, beginning with the 16-16 draw with Australia at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, on 11 October 2020, and scored off the bench in a 38-0 win over Argentina at Newcastle Sports Ground on 28 November 2020.

In 2021 the Blues won a title. Tuipulotu started at lock in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final against the Highlanders at Eden Park on 19 June 2021, a 23-15 win in front of 31,800, and the club's profile credits him with delivering the region its first title in 18 years. He added two Test tries that year: in the 102-0 win over Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on 3 July 2021, and against Argentina at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, on 18 September 2021 (36-13).

Japan and the first All Blacks XV

For 2022 he took a sabbatical, signing with Toyota Verblitz, where former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was in charge, for the January to May season in Japan. He said he was "very happy to be joining Toyota Verblitz". He played 11 games there.

Back home, he played two Tests in 2022 and was then given a new job: captain of the first All Blacks XV, coached by Leon MacDonald. The side beat Ireland A 47-19 at the RDS Arena, Dublin, on 4 November 2022, then lost 35-31 to the Barbarians in front of 35,000 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, on 13 November 2022.

He returned to the Blues in 2023 as the senior man in a young group of locks after Luke Romano's departure.

2024: the season of his life

When Vern Cotter took over the Blues for 2024, he gave the captaincy back to Tuipulotu. The season began badly: on the verge of his 100th game for the club, he broke his jaw in a pre-season match in Japan. He trained through the recovery and played his 100th game against the Crusaders at Eden Park on 23 March 2024, a 26-6 win. He went on to score against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on 27 April 2024 (41-34) and the Rebels at AAMI Park, Melbourne, on 3 May 2024 (38-11).

Then came the twist. He left the field with a medial ligament injury in the quarter-final against the Fijian Drua at Eden Park on 8 June 2024, a 36-5 win, and was ruled out for the rest of the campaign. He tested the heavily strapped knee at training in the week of the final, got through it, and was named to lead the side.

In the final, Caleb Clarke scored a hat-trick, Sam Darry partnered Tuipulotu in the second row, and the Blues won 41-10 in front of 41,975. The Super Rugby match report said the captain "showed no signs of the knee injury", gaining a mountain of metres and making a line-break. Blindside Akira Ioane told Stan Sport that Tuipulotu had been out with the MCL injury two weeks earlier "and now he's man of the match in the final". "Pretty inspirational when your skip is down and out," Ioane said. Tuipulotu's own verdict: "It's a surreal feeling."

Captain of the All Blacks

Scott Robertson took over the All Blacks that year. Tuipulotu started both Tests against England, a 16-15 win at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 6 July 2024 and a 24-17 win at Eden Park on 13 July 2024, and was back in the squad for the end-of-year tour.

On 26 October 2024 he captained the All Blacks for the first time, against Japan at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama. New Zealand Rugby said he was the 82nd player to captain the All Blacks in a Test and the sixth of Samoan descent, following Tana Umaga, Ardie Savea, Keven Mealamu, Mils Muliaina, Rodney So'oialo and Jerry Collins. Robertson said Tuipulotu accepted on the spot, then confirmed it after talking to his family. "Pat has great mana, leadership and experience," the coach said. Darry started beside him at lock.

The new captain marked the day with a try. Wallace Sititi made the initial burst, Anton Lienert-Brown and Stephen Perofeta made ground, and the ball was thrown to Tuipulotu on the left flank. He turned to take it, fended off three defenders and scored. The All Blacks won 64-19. He then came off the bench against England at Twickenham on 2 November 2024 (24-22), Ireland at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, on 8 November 2024 (23-13) and France at the Stade de France on 16 November 2024 (29-30), and started the 29-11 win over Italy at Allianz Stadium, Turin, on 23 November 2024.

Re-signing, and 2026

In May 2025 he re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the Blues until the end of 2028. "This club is home," he said. Blues chief executive Andrew Hore called him "the heartbeat of this team", and All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan spoke of "a calm, commanding presence". He started both July Tests against France in 2025, a 43-17 win at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on 12 July 2025 and a 29-19 win at FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, on 19 July 2025.

A shoulder injury first picked up during the 2025 Rugby Championship worsened after the tournament and needed surgery, so he missed the 2025 northern tour; Sam Darry took his place in the squad. The recovery delayed his 2026 start. He made his first appearance of the season, as captain, against the Highlanders at Eden Park on 17 April 2026, a 47-40 win. "Having Patrick back is massive for us," Cotter said. The Blues reached the semi-finals, where Tuipulotu scored their first try in a 57-21 loss to the Hurricanes at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on 13 June 2026.

He was part of Dave Rennie's first All Blacks campaign in July 2026. He started against Ireland at Eden Park on 18 July 2026, and when Josh Lord fed him into a gap, he marked his return to Test rugby with a try in a 40-21 win. On the tour of South Africa he captained the All Blacks in two of the tour matches, a 38-21 win over the Stormers at DHL Stadium, Cape Town, on 7 August 2026 and a 41-35 win over the Lions at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, on 25 August 2026, when he sent a pass on for Emoni Narawa to score. He came off the bench in the second Test at DHL Stadium on 29 August 2026 (26-33) and started the fourth Test against South Africa at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, on 12 September 2026 (28-43), with Darry again his locking partner.

A calf injury kept him out of the Bledisloe Cup Tests in October 2026, and he was not named in the 36-man squad for the November northern tour.

Style and standing

The NZ Rugby Museum's profile calls him "a large, physical player" and "a quietly-spoken man". At 198 cm and around 120 kg, he has always been a ball-carrier first, and in 2014 he said running with the ball was "what I do best". His Test record is 47 wins, one draw and 11 losses from 59 matches, and 34 of those 59 Tests have come off the bench.

What coaches and team-mates talk about is leadership. He has captained Auckland, the North Island, the Blues, the All Blacks XV and the All Blacks. Robertson spoke of his mana, Hore of a man who "leads with integrity" and Cotter of "a leader who drives standards on and off the field".

Where he is now

Tuipulotu is named in the Blues' squad for 2027, the club's first season under new head coach Jason Holland, and is contracted to the end of 2028. By the Blues' count he has played 131 games for the club. He turns 34 in January 2027, the year of the next World Cup in Australia.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data to 17 October 2026. Provincial figures are from rugbyhistory.co.nz; the Blues total is from the club's player profile.