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| Birth name | Alex Tulou Junior Tulou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 March 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Faga'alu, American Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 114 kg (251 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Keyla Tulou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alex Tulou (born March 21, 1987, in Faga'alu, American Samoa) is a rugby union footballer, currently playing in the top French professional rugby competition, the Top 14, for Montpellier. He joined Montpellier in 2011. His usual position is number eight or Flanker.
Alex started his school boy rugby at Hastings Boys' High School in the province of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. He was quickly identified as an up-and-coming young player with tremendous strength, ball skills and speed.
Tulou started his career with the Taranaki in the National Provincial Championship and the Hurricanes in the Super 14. [1] During this time he had a trial for the New Zealand 7's team. [2]
In 2010 he signed a two-year contract to play for Bourgoin [3] in the Top 14. He played 15 Top 14 matches (9 starts and 6 as a replacement) for the club in the 2010/11 season, scoring 3 tries, and 4 matches in the European Challenge Cup, scoring one try.
Following this he signed for Montpellier to replace Jérôme Vallée after he was forced to retire due to injury. [4] He played a further 8 matches for Montpellier in 2010/11 but failed to add to his try tally.
During the 2011/12 season, Tulou established himself as a first team regular for Montpellier, starting 19 of the team's 27 league games at Number 8 and was a replacement for 5 more. He scored 9 tries, including the team's first try in their end of season playoff defeat to Castres. [5] Tulou also played in his first Heineken Cup matches, scoring one try.
In September 2012 it was announced that Tulou had signed a new contract to keep him at Montpellier until 2015. [6]
Afterwards he signed for French rivals Castres from the 2015–16 season. [7] Afterwards, he rejected a move to Pro D2 side Beziers, he instead signed for another French club Lyon to remain in the Top 14 from the 2020–21 season. [8]
The Top 14 is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the France National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism of LNR. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next level down, the Pro D2. The fourteen best rugby teams in France participate in the competition, hence the name Top 14. The competition was previously known as the Top 16.
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Damien Chouly is a former French rugby union footballer. He played for Brive, Perpignan, and Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14, commonly in the Number 8 position.
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