sport news Taulupe Faletau has been one of Wales' most consistent players ahead of his ... trends now
When Taulupe Faletau’s childhood took him from the remote Tongan islands of Haʻapai to the small Welsh town of Ebbw Vale, his life took a truly remarkable turn.
Back then, a seven-year-old Faletau could surely not have realised the scale of the change he was going through.
Nor could he have expected at the time he would go on to win 100 Welsh caps. But that is what Faletau – now 32 – will do on Saturday when Wales finish off their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris.
It will represent a milestone game for the forward who has been one of Wales’ most consistent players for the last decade and more since his Test debut in 2011.
Quiet and softly spoken away from the field, Faletau doesn’t like the limelight and prefers to stay under the radar which is perhaps a result of his Pacific Island upbringing.
Taulupe Faletau is set to make his 100th appearance for Wales against France on Saturday
He has been one of Wales' most consistent players for the last decade and more since 2011
There is no doubt, though, he has had a brilliant career that is worth praising as he prepares to bring up a century of caps for his adopted country.
‘It’s an unbelievable achievement for what he’s done in the game,’ said Wales head coach Warren Gatland, who was the one to give Faletau his international bow.
‘He’s been an incredible servant to Wales. He’s still as quiet as ever and doesn’t say a lot. I can remember the early days when he came out of the Dragons and he never missed a training session. He was available every week. If you look at his record and how many times he started and played early on in his career, that was pretty impressive.
‘He was unlucky at Bath with the amount of injuries he picked up there. He’s been brilliant for the Lions as well.‘It’s a great accolade for him and his family as well. They’ll be there on Saturday. It’s something we need to celebrate and he needs to enjoy it.
‘Hopefully the players go out there and perform to make it special for him.’
Faletau moved to Wales to follow his father Kuli when he signed for Ebbw Vale in 1997. At the time, a large contingent of Tongan-born players were at Welsh clubs and, naturally, they congregated together given their common bond and distance from home.
A young Faletau would play junior rugby with now England internationals Mako and Billy Vunipola, whose father Fe’ao was employed at Pontypool.
Faletau made his full international debut for Wales against the Barbarians in June 2011
Wales head coach Warren Gatland is hoping to mark Faletau 100th cap with a win vs France
Faletau and the Vunipola brothers refer to themselves as cousins although that is not true in the conventional sense. Their mothers are distant cousins but regardless, their closeness cannot be doubted. While the Vunipolas went on to move to England and wear a white shirt at international level, Faletau stayed with Wales.
The trio have gone head-to-head on several occasions. Faletau and Mako Vunipola have also been on multiple Lions tours.
Sportsmail remembers one occasion in 2013 when after Faletau’s Wales had hammered the Vunipolas’ England 30-3 to win that year’s Six Nations in Cardiff, the defeated side were told not to go out in the Welsh capital. Billy and Mako did so anyway and snuck into a Cardiff nightclub through the kitchen to join Faletau and the Welsh celebrations.
Billy Vunipola is hoping Faletau can celebrate his 100th Welsh cap in style with a glass of the expensive Japanese whiskey he is sending him to mark the occasion.
‘Toby has grown quite a bit since those
