WRU desperate to convince Wales international's brother to switch allegiance from England

The Welsh Rugby Union have made persuading Kepueli Tuipulotu to represent Wales over England at senior level a priority.

Tuipulotu, who hails from Pontypool, has captained England U18s and will join Bath upon finishing his sixth form studies at the prestigious Harrow School. The powerful hooker was a member of the London Irish academy but has now pledged his future to Bath after his former club went bust.

Despite being born in Wales, the 18-year-old has been in the England pathway for the past four years and wants to repay their faith in him. But this will not stop the WRU pulling out all the stops to persuade him to represent the land of his birth at senior level should he reach his potential.

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Tuipulotu is the son of former Dragons and Worcester Warriors centre Sione, while he is the younger brother of Wales Women international Sisilia. Despite representing England at age-grade level because he is studying there, he is not tied to the Red Rose and remains eligible to represent the country of his birth, along with Tonga.

Tuipulotu is considered one of the brightest prospects in the English game with his set-piece prowess, ability to get over the gainline, relentless work rate and his raw physicality marking him out as a player of significant promise. Should he make his mark on the professional game there is likely to be a tug of war for his services between England and Wales at some stage, while he also qualifies for Tonga.

Following Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's decision to represent England over the land of his birth, the WRU are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to stop a similar situation happening in the future. WalesOnline has been told Tuipulotu is one of many dual-qualified players the WRU have targeted, with the Pontypool-born forward at the top of the list.

It is impossible for Welsh rugby to compete with the educational offers some of Wales' youth receive from certain schools in England. But what they can do is work with them, fostering a strong rapport with the player in question in the hope he or she pledges their allegiance to Wales at senior level in the future.