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| Born | 2 September 2005 [1] Pontypool, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Harrow School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Bath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Sione Tuʻipulotu (father) Sisilia Tuipulotu (sister) Carwyn Tuipulotu (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kepu Tuipulotu (born 2 September 2005) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Bath. Born in Wales, he represented England at youth level qualifying on residency. [2]
Born in Pontypool, Wales to parents from Tonga, [3] Tuipulotu moved with his family to Plymouth for three years before a stint living in Japan. [4] They subsequently returned to the United Kingdom where they spent seven years in Worcester, England. [4]
Tuipulotu won scholarships to Caldicott School, which he attended between the ages of 11 and 14, and then to Harrow, where he captained the first XV. [5] [6] [7] Tuipulotu was a member of the London Irish academy and in February 2023 they won the under-18 Premiership Rugby title. [8] He made a try scoring debut for the University of Bath playing BUCS Super Rugby in September 2024. [9]
Tuipulotu joined Bath Rugby for the 2024–25 season. [10] [11] He made his professional debut on 2 November 2024, scoring a hat trick of first half tries in the Premiership Rugby Cup in a 73–0 away win over Ampthill RUFC. [12] [13] He was named among the Bath replacements for their European Rugby Champions Cup match against Benetton Rugby on 15 December 2024. [14] He made his Premiership debut replacing Tom Dunn as Bath lost 35–34 after the clock had gone red against Northampton Saints. [15]
Tuipulotu chose to represent England who he qualifies for on residency, over Wales, the country of his birth. [16] In April 2023, he made a try-scoring first start playing for England U18, appearing as a hooker in the under-18s Six Nations. [17] [18]
In February 2025, Tuipulotu won man of the match in a 57–13 victory over Scotland U20 during the 2025 U20 Six Nations scoring two tries and assisting another with a grubber kick. [19] He also started in the last round as England were defeated by Wales at Cardiff Arms Park to miss out on a grand slam and ultimately finish runners-up. [20]
In June 2025, Tuipulotu was named in the England U20 squad for the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship. [21] He captained and scored a Hat-trick of tries during a pool stage game against Australia as England ultimately finished sixth. [22]
Tuipulotu was selected for the England A squad in November 2025 and made his first appearance at that level in a defeat against New Zealand. [23] [24] A week later he scored a try during a victory over Spain. [25]
His sister Sisilia Tuipulotu plays for Gloucester–Hartpury in the Premier 15s, and made her international debut for Wales at the 2022 Women's Six Nations. His father, Sione Tuʻipulotu, played for Tonga, winning 29 caps between 1997 and 2008, and played in Wales for Caerphilly RFC (2001–2003) and the Newport Gwent Dragons (2003–2006), while his cousin Carwyn Tuipulotu plays for French club Pau. [26]