The 29-year-old centre is a new arrival at Edgeley Park having made the switch from RaboDirect PRO12 champions Munster during the summer.
And Sharks' executive director of sport Steve Diamond, who has overseen a drastic overhaul of the Sale squad during the off-season, says the example set by Tuitupou since his move made him an obvious choice to lead the side.
He said: "Sam joined us in the summer and has been outstanding at training, leading by example and motivating others. He has captaincy experience from his Auckland days.
"It was a difficult decision - there were three or four lads who stuck their hands in the air and wanted to be captain - but we thought Sam would be here with us and not be playing in internationals.
"That was one of the considerations with the new team and the new environment at the club: it's the right way.
"We're not having vice-captains. If Sam is unavailable, we'll pick a captain as we go forward.
"We've got two other team leaders in the group - Joe Ward and Nick MacLeod - who are our 'governors'. They look after discipline for us and that's how it works out for the team."
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