PATRICK TUIPULOTU

Position
Lock

Blues debut
2014 vs Highlanders

Blues caps
109

Blues points
85

Born
23/01/93

Height
198cm

Weight
120kg

Province
Auckland

At two metres tall and 125kg, Patrick Tuipulotu is a hugely athletic and physical presence in the Blues pack. He played for St Peter’s College in Auckland and the NZ Secondary Schools team as well as the NZ Under 20 side in 2013. 

Tuipulotu burst on to the professional scene in 2014 in spectacular style. In his first year of Super Rugby, he became the starting lock for the Blues and earned All Blacks selection later that year. After another impressive start to the Super Rugby season in 2015, Patrick had to withdraw from selection for the Rugby World Cup due to injury. 

The All Blacks lock, following a challenging 2017 season, also suffered from a niggling shoulder injury that sidelined him for half of the 2018 Super Rugby season. He returned to the Auckland Mitre-10 Cup side to show typical hard-running and ball-winning form to earn an All Blacks return. 

Blues fans know him to be a massive component of the big and aggressive Blues forward pack, not only as a player, but a leader too. 

Patrick was announced as Co-Captain of the Blues and his 2019 season was immense, regularly breaking defensive lines with his strong carries and crunching his opposition with solid tackles. Patrick forced his way into the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship and could not be denied a place on the plane to play in his first World Cup in Japan. 

At the beginning of the 2020 season Patrick was named as the outright Captain of the Blues and he had another massive season. He was awarded the Blues ‘Most Valuable Player’, named Captain for the North Island in the ‘North v South’ clash and nominated as the Super Rugby ‘Player of the Year’. 

In 2021, Tuipulotu continued his fine form on the field as well as off it. Revered by his team-mates for his uncompromising style of play, his ‘lead by action’ captaincy and his professionalism, Patrick’s impact was sorely missed for a short spell during the middle of the 2021 season due to injury. 

2021 also saw Patrick establish himself as a community leader. Loved by fans for his dedication to his heritage and his people, his hometown and its diversity, he was ultimately rewarded with delivering the Blues region its first title in 18 years. 

After taking up a short-term sabbatical in Japan for the 2022 season, Tuipulotu returned to the Blues for the 2023 season. He joined the locking stocks as a senior figure after the departure of Luke Romano. His leadership, especially amongst the younger locks in the squad was invaluable throughout the season.  

2024 was quite possibly Patrick Tuipulotu’s most remarkable season of Super Rugby. Vern Cotter took over as Head Coach and reinstated Tuipulotu as Blues Captain, a position Dalton Papali’i had occupied since Patty went on sabbatical. On the cusp of playing his 100th Super Rugby match in the opening game of the season, Patty was dealt a harsh blow, breaking his jaw in a pre-season match in Japan and delaying his milestone match.  

The injury didn’t slow Tuipulotu down, he trained like a beast in the gym while his jaw recovered and was finally able to play his 100th Blues match, fittingly against arch rivals the Crusaders at Eden Park in Round Five. From there Tuipulotu had a dominant season at the helm. A forward orientated game plan suited the hulking lock and his bruising runs were a hallmark of the championship season. 

There was one final twist in the tale of 2024. In the Quarter Final against Fijian Drua, after a typically hard hitting performance, Tuipulotu came off with an MCL injury – his season seemingly over. However, in what can only be described as a miraculous recovery, Tuipulotu tested his heavily strapped knee at training in the week of the Grand Final. Safe in the knowledge his injury couldn’t get much worse, Patty showed great courage and determination to get through a week of training and was selected to Captain the side against the Chiefs at Eden Park. 

It was only fitting for Tuipulotu, a Blues stalwart and club legend, to lift the Super Rugby Pacific trophy having played and dominated on one good leg. The accolades didn’t stop there, with Tuipulotu continuing to defy the odds as he was selected and played for the All Blacks to cap a season to remember for the talismanic lock. Big Patty will be back to lead the Blues in 2025 as the team embark on their Super Rugby Pacific title defence.  

Patrick is contracted with the Blues through until the end of the 2025 season.