By Marco Monteverde

Copyright news

Tupou was the most relieved man in Townsville last Saturday when the Wallabies scored a try after the siren to secure a 28-24 win over the Pumas.

The 29-year-old front-rower had gifted Argentina early points with two dangerous tackles and didn’t reappear after half-time.

“It wasn’t the start we were looking for,” Tupou said on Tuesday.

“I gave away those two penalties and I gave the (Pumas) six points.

“I was quite nervous there. We were lucky at the end, other (coach) Joe (Schmidt) would have told me to go home maybe.

“I can’t afford to have that this weekend. If I’m in the team, I’ll definitely wrap those arms (around the player) when I make those tackles.”

Tupou admitted that the past few months had been “challenging” for him, but was grateful to be recalled for the third Test of Australia’s series against the British and Irish Lions.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be back and playing, wearing the gold jersey,” he said.

“It’s very special. You get older and you just know there are guys coming up, fighting for the trophies and you just never know when’s your last one, so every opportunity is just as important for you.”

The Wallabies are aiming for a fourth win in five games on Saturday, but the Australians aren’t getting ahead of themselves.

Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott said: “There’s absolutely no complacency from our point of view because we know first-hand just how good this team is we’re coming up against.

“We’ve been being real with the feedback we’ve been received and some honest chats around where we need to get better but it’s great because we’re turning in the right direction and we’ve got to make sure every single day we continue to do that.”