He watches videos of himself on YouTube, some of which have racked up 250,000 views, crashing over hapless defenders.
"It comes up on Facebook," said Tupou with a grin. "Some of my mates will tag me in it and why not. I watch it and see all the comments.
"Sometimes I look at it and I'm like: 'Maybe I shouldn't eat that much, that jersey looks tight'."
As for his nickname, Tupou said it was the media that dubbed him Tongan Thor early in his career, when he was still a schoolboy.