Glasgow sign '˜human locomotive' Langilangi Haupeakui

Glasgow Warriors have secured the signature of the American international back-row forward Langilangi Haupeakui, subject to a work permit.

By The Newsroom Wednesday, 21st September 2016, 12:00 am Updated Wednesday, 5th October 2016, 2:34 pm

Langilangi Haupeakui, a back-row with blistering pace, has signed for Glasgow Warriors.

Haupeakui is of Tongan heritage with just one US Test cap to his name but has shot to stardom in the nascent American Pro League and boasts outstanding raw potential.

Standing 6ft 1in he tops the scales at an impressive 18½ stones but it is his pace off the mark and his footwork that set him apart.

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A No 8 by trade, although there is a body of opinion that sees him fetching up at loosehead, his pick and drive off the back of the set scrum is a thing to behold unless, of course, you are tasked with stopping the human locomotive.

With Adam Ashe sitting out the first half of the season after foot surgery, Glasgow Warriors have turned to Haupeakui.

He came to the game late, playing American football at university before switching to rugby. He was not even included in the initial Pro League rosters but was a late addition to Sacramento’s squad and emerged as one of the league’s stand-out players.

His experience of first-class rugby is modest to say the least but such are his physical assets that Haupeakui had already been approached by Harlequins, who held a pre-season training camp in Northern California this summer, before Glasgow secured his signature. It may have helped that Haupeakui plays his club rugby with the East Palo Alto Razorbacks alongside another USA Eagle, Folau Niua, who had one season with the Warriors a few years back. The Razorbacks’ Facebook page suggests the club fields some seriously big men.

Haupeakui grew up in East Palo Alto, half way between San Francisco and San Jose which, according to one website is “a small town noted for murder, gangs and poverty” and a fifth of all the town’s inhabitants live below the poverty line.

Haupeakui has been described as a “diamond in the rough” and certainly the body art and background suggest a tough upbringing a million miles removed from Scotstoun’s salubrious suburbs. It is fair to say that Glasgow’s latest acquisition has a period of adjustment ahead of him both on and off the field.

The deal has not been without controversy since Haupeakui was said to be already contracted to the USA Pro League when he signed forms with Glasgow. The player was supposed to have given a 30-day notice period to the Pro League before entering any new agreement.