British Tongans have it covered for Rugby Journal 22
The Tuipulotu cousins Sisili, Carwyn and Kepu are the cover stars of Rugby Journal 22, also featuring Sergio Parisse, Rocky Clark, Cambridge, Jersey and Wasps Women.
The new journal is out on the 21st June – order yours here – and sees the three cousins, the children of former Tongan internationals Kati and Sione, take the team into the Welsh valleys church community that has been home to the islanders since the 1990s.
While number eight Carwyn was the first to burst onto the scene with age-grade Wales and Scarlets, Sisilia (with Wales in the TikTok Six Nations) and Kepu (with England under-18s) have followed suit this year. The three of them talk about their unique upbringing and the influence of their Welsh Tongan rugby brethren on their careers.
In the same issue, Sergio Parisse talks exclusively to Rugby Journal sharing his life story, from the upbringing in Argentina to the touring Italian side that changed his rugby stars; Rocky Clarkgoes back to the beginning and when she was in danger of falling onto the wrong side of the tracks; and we meet Zach Mercer and Henry Thomas in Montpellier where they explain how the French club changed their international rugby lives.
Grassroots to elite
Ever ones to ensure they’re in the right place, Rugby Journal also travelled to Jersey for their pivotal season-defining clash against Ealing; to Cambridge when they made history in National League 1; to Pontypool as the finally secured Premiership rugby; and to west London, when Wasps Women bade farewell to top-flight rugby.
Yorkshire rugby – its past, present and future – was also on the agenda as the print journal headed to Doncaster for a double-header involved the county’s men and women’s side.
The sorry tale of the Worcester Warriors’ men is retold from start to, well, ongoing, by local journalist Marcello Cossali-Francis who covered – and is still covering – the trials and tribulations of the former Premiership side.
And, in the latest of the journal’s Rugby World Cup series, they visited Lyon and Saint-Etienne where they met president Yann Roubert, ex-Saracen Joel Kpoku, and Samoa captain Jordan Taufua, to learn about the clubs’ lofty ambitions and their plans for hosting the main event later this year.
Also in the new print edition, the first details of Rugby Photographer of the Year 2023 are revealed.
Order the new issue of Rugby Journal, featuring over 50,000 words of rugby stories in a coffee-table journal from just £34 per year here.
The Rugby Journal is published by Sporting Eric, part of the Rugby Journal family that also includes the free weekly newsletter, Rugby Journal Weekly, therugbyjournal.com, and Rugby Photographer of the Year.