Sione Tuipulotu insists he is focused on doing his job for Scotland despite a “whirlwind” week in which he was surprised with a visit from his grandmother.
The Scotland captain’s Greenock-born grandmother Jacqueline Thomson flew in earlier this week, much to the surprise of Sione and brother Mosese.
It has provided added motivation for the centre, who was born in Australia but qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother, will face the country of his birth for the second time at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Sunday.
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Tuipulotu said: “Playing Australia is one thing, but the more special thing for me is playing in front of my gran.
"It's just playing in front of family that haven't watched me play for a while and that's always going to be special, whether I'm playing for Scotland or when she used to come watch me in my club games.”
Tuipulotu knows his gran’s presence in the stands at Murrayfield will make leading the side out an even more special experience.
He added: “When I run out, I'll look up and I'll see her in the stands and she'll sing the anthem. It will be special for me and my family and, most importantly, special for my gran.
Despite the added personal incentives, Tuipulotu knows his focus must be all on the Wallabies, who have turned a corner with wins over England and Wales on tour after a difficult Rugby Championship campaign.
The Scotland skipper gave his assessment of Joe Schmidt’s side.
“They're back playing their attacking style of rugby and those players that have had a rough last couple of years in the Wallaby system are really thriving.
"They've landed a very good coach in Joe Schmidt and he's got them firing. The talent is there to play that brand of rugby, which is quite similar to ours, so it makes for a pretty good game."
Tuipulotu and his Glasgow Warriors colleague Huw Jones will go up against Len Ikitau and NRL convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in a mouthwatering midfield battle that could go a long way to determining the outcome of the match.
“There’s not a lot of tape on him, but with a talented guy like that I’m not sure tape would help anyway.
“There's not many players like that that get fast-tracked to test rugby that quickly and to still be such a young man.
“I know a couple of the Sydney Roosters boys, they say he's a really good kid and that's probably why he's progressed so well and so quickly.
"He's obviously very athletically gifted, but it's also a challenge me and Shug [Huw Jones] have been really looking forward to.
“I know both their midfielders. I know Len, I think he’s been one of the best midfielders in this Autumn Nations s I'm really happy for him to see him back playing some really good test rugby.
“But it's a game that me and Shug have been looking forward to just because we know that that midfield has been playing well and we know me and Shug are a pretty good midfield partnership.
“We're excited for the challenge to play another really good midfield partnership.”
But he believes he’s well prepared for the emotion of facing the Wallabies having played in the 2022 meeting of the sides, also at Murrayfield.
“It does give me a little bit of cover knowing that I've already stood in the line and sung Flower of Scotland and listened to the Australian anthem. That's all going to be familiar with me.
“That it helps in preparation this week. What I've themed it about is just not making it bigger than it already is.”
But after an autumn that has yielded big wins over a Fiji side shorn of its European-based players and a largely amateur Portugal outfit, Tuipulotu knows there is a lot riding on the result against Australia.
"We understand the importance of this game for what we want later on in terms of the Six Nations. The group is well aware of that and we're not shying away from any of that.”
And from a personal point of view, a big showing against the Wallabies would further the Scotland captain’s claims to a British and Irish Lions spot next summer, though he was keen to play that down and stress there is plenty of rugby to play before Andy Farrell names his squad.
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“Every time I look at the whole Lions thing, it feels ages away,” said the 27-year-old, who will win his 30th cap against Australia.
“There's still so much rugby to come, but I suppose the elephant in the room is that we are playing Australia and the Lions are playing Australia on that tour.
“But it [the Lions] is not my motivation. I want to win for Scotland and I know this is an important game for us in terms of setting us up for the Six Nations.”
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