Six Nations 2023: From Tonga to Wales centurion - the story of Taulupe Faletau

Taulupe Faletau scored his 11th Wales international try in his 99th game against Italy in Rome.

Brilliant but humble. An unassuming warrior. One of the best players Wales has seen.

The verdict on Taulupe Faletau appears to be universal.

He will achieve a memorable milestone when he wins his 100th Wales cap in the Six Nations game against France in Paris on Saturday.

The 32-year-old will become the eighth member of an exclusive Welsh club that features Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, George North, Dan Biggar, Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas and Martyn Williams.

Faletau made his Wales debut against the Barbarians in June 2011 and has also played five Tests for the British and Irish Lions over three tours.

He has been widely regarded as one of the leading number eights in the world over the past 12 years.

He is also viewed as one of Wales' finest players, and possibly the best ever, in his position.

That is a remarkable accolade for somebody who became the first Pacific Island-born player to represent Wales after arriving from Tonga with his family as a child.

Taulupe Faletau won his 50th Wales cap against Fiji in the 2015 World Cup

He was involved in the 2012 Grand Slam-winning side and the 2013 and 2021 teams that celebrated Six Nations titles, and helped Wales reach the World Cup semi-finals 12 years ago.

After starting his career with Dragons, Faletau joined Bath before linking up with Cardiff.

BBC Sport Wales charts Faletau's journey with coaches and players who have helped him along the way.

Adapting to Welsh life

Taulupe Faletau pictured with his parents Kuli and Vika after playing for East Wales Under-20s against West Wales in October 2009

Faletau was born in Tonga in 1990. His family moved to Wales when he was seven.

His father Kuli, who played 20 Tests for Tonga, was recruited by Ebbw Vale and later played for Pontypool.

The Ebbw Vale captain at the time was Kingsley Jones, whose father Phil was Tonga coach.

That connection helped bring the Faletaus to Wales and Jones would later be Faletau's forwards coach at Dragons.

"Kuli came over, initially on his own, before bringing his wife and family including Taulupe," said Jones.

"Kuli is his own man, quiet and humble who also likes a laugh. He was made to feel welcome and warmed to that.

"There was a large Tongan culture in Wales and that helped them settle.

"Kuli was one of the leaders of the Tongan players in Wales and had a lot of respect.

"They had a house on the edge of Eugene Cross Park (Ebbw Vale's ground). It became known as the 'Tongan Embassy'.

"My first memory of Toby was him running around in the car park jumping on people's cars and just being a little boy.

"He was always a humble, great guy.

"To coach him later on was strange because I had known him as a little boy and then all of a sudden he was this international rugby player."

Faletau's mum Vika told Scrum V in 2015 his schoolfriends and teachers found it hard to say Taulupe so he suggested using Toby. He would later revert to Taulupe during his rugby career.

A year after the Faletau family moved to Wales, Fe'ao Vunipola arrived from Sydney to join Pontypool.

Faletau played in the same East Wales Under-11 side as Vunipola's sons, Mako and Billy.

The Vunipolas' rugby and education took them to England, with Billy and Mako subsequently pledging their allegiance to the red rose.

Faletau was 16 when he moved to Filton College in south Bristol.

The college's academy director George Tavner says they initially looked at recruiting England international Mako Vunipola, who went elsewhere, before becoming aware of Faletau.

"He came across as a respectful young man but you could also see he had huge potential," said Tavner.

"He was extremely raw when we first met him but what he had was unbelievable athletic ability.

"We have only played a very small part in his development but I'm proud of what he has gone on to become.

"The biggest thing Filton did for Toby was put him in an environment where he was challenged every week, but he deserves the credit for what he has achieved. It's awesome."

Dragons' lair

Taulupe Faletau played 110 games for Dragons between 2009 and 2016 before joining Bath

Tavner says at the time he had a "strong relationship" with Dragons academy coach Will Thomas, who Wales have to thank for playing a part in not losing Faletau to England.

Bristol Academy had talks about bringing Faletau into their set-up but Tavner and Thomas helped ensure Faletau became part of the Dragons.

Kuli told the Scrum V programme: "I told Toby, if you are good enough you have to come back to play in Wales."

On a winter's day, Thomas went to watch Faletau impress for Filton at Truro in the Daily Mail Cup.

That performance persuaded him to bring Faletau into the academy, though he admits to having initial reservations.

"Byron Hayward was my conditioning coach and he was pushing for Toby because he knew the family," said Thomas.

"Toby came into the academy office and afterwards I remember saying to Byron, 'I am not sure about it - the whole time Toby was staring at the floor'.

"I said you have got to have presence and personality - I was not convinced.

"Byron said what he was doing is within the Tongan culture, showing you respect and not looking you in the eye. I said okay, let's bring him in and see how he gets on.

"In a training environment, Toby was quiet and you wouldn't necessarily know how good he was.

"He had that natural ability. He just had to get on the pitch and you would see that absolute quality."

Taulupe Faletau tackling Billy Vunipola during a Wales versus England game

Faletau's potential was spotted by then Dragons head coach Paul Turner, who handed him a senior regional debut aged 18, in a 9-8 win in Edinburgh in 2009.

Faletau made 11 club appearances for Cross Keys and two for Newport.

"Jonny Westwood is one of my best friends and was up at Cross Keys and said 'we had one of the young Faletaus and he is going to play for Wales'," recalled Turner.

"I first saw Toby when he was waiting outside the Rodney Parade gates. He just looked a coy, quiet boy.

"I talked to him but I don't think for the next year I got a lot of words out of him. He was very humble.

"He was such a good player, great to coach, just got on with what he wanted to do.

"You could see he was something different and was going to become world class at some stage. He had that X-factor."

First cap

Taulupe Faletau in action for Wales against Barbarians on his first cap in 2011

Faletau's Wales debut came against the Barbarians in June 2011, when he started in a 31-28 defeat.

"We were proud of him when he played for Wales," said Kuli.

"I told him, this is your country."

Warren Gatland selected Faletau for his first and 100th Wales caps, 12 years apart.

The captain - for the first time - the day Faletau made his debut was Sam Warburton, who would go on to to lead his nation 49 times in 74 internationals and play five Tests for the British and Irish Lions.

"One of my first memories of Toby was an early experience when he came into the Wales squad and we used to do this Shaun Edwards training drill," said Warburton.

"He was carrying into me and I went to put a shot into him and I remember being rocked back with the explosiveness he had at even that young age.

"I carried on with the drill but I felt like I had a bit of whiplash in the neck and I realised how much power he had.

"At 20, he was ready to play Test level. As a number eight, that's pretty freaky."

Many of Warburton's Wales experiences were in the back row with Dan Lydiate and Faletau, who emerged on the global scene at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand when he made 83 tackles during the competition, not missing one.

Warburton says Faletau was also a calming influence off the pitch.

"I remember pre-match with everybody getting pretty pumped, Toby would always pray before the game and he would be left alone with his space because he had his own routine," said Warburton.

"I miss those days in the changing room and it was such a privilege to play alongside him.

"I used to like sitting next to him because we were both chilled characters, while Dan was a bit more emotional.

"We would not say much, just have one embrace before kick-off. That was enough to know you were going to the end of the earth for each other."

Taulupe Faletau and Sam Warburton during the 2015 World Cup

So where does Faletau rank among the modern greats?

"I have always said Shane Williams is the best Welsh player I have played with because he is the one man who has single-handedly won us matches," said Warburton.

"As time has gone by and I have watched Toby, he is up in that bracket with Shane and I could not pick one of them.

"In terms of number eights, he is up there with Kieran Read and Sergio Parisse in a league of their own as the world's best.

"I would say that to him and he thought he was nowhere near them.

"He is the worst person I have met for taking a compliment, he does not believe what you are telling him. He would say he was rubbish and other players were a lot better.

"He genuinely has no clue how good he is. Hopefully on Saturday the penny will drop with him and he will realise what he has achieved."

Perfect room-mate (almost)

Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau in tandem against Scotland in 2021

Flanker Justin Tipuric is Faletau's regular room-mate on Wales trips and the pair have been sharing in Nice during the build-up to this milestone match.

Tipuric, who has played 92 internationals for Wales and been selected for three Lions tours alongside Faletau, says his friend will not like the fuss.

"He's a shy old guy," said Tipuric.

"He's one of a kind and deserves everything he gets. He'll be shying away after the game and won't want to do any of the initiations or have any of the fuss, but we'll make sure he does.

"It is one heck of an achievement, but he runs away from it all. I guess it's the best way to be.

"People look up to him because of the type of person he is. Everybody can see his rugby stuff but it is about how he is off the field and the way he is with his family.

"He's very grounded, so chilled. He could probably carry the world on his shoulders and people wouldn't know. He always works hard and wants to get better all the time."

Tipuric says Faletau has only one minor flaw.

"He snores a little bit, that is the only bad thing I can give him," added Tipuric.

"He is tidy which I like. He is organised and neat and I am a bit fussy that way. So it works well between us."

Family affair

Faletau will be emulating a member of his extended family by reaching 100 international caps.

Faletau is married to Charlotte Rhys Jones. Her sister Emma is married to none other than Gareth Bale, Wales' former football captain and record men's goalscorer.

Faletau and Charlotte have two sons, Israel and Ezekiel, and announced in January they are expecting their third child.

The family is expected in Paris to celebrate the achievement of a modern Wales great.

Taulupe, or Toby, Faletau deserves all the accolades he receives.

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