Christian Leali'ifano (born 24 September 1987), is an Australian professional rugby player. He is of Samoan heritage, and his surname is spelled Leali'ifano when using Samoan diacritics. He currently plays for Moana Pasifika in the Super Rugby Pacific competition and his usual position is inside centre or fly-half.[2] In August 2016, two weeks after the Brumbies were knocked out of the Super Rugby finals, Leali'ifano was diagnosed with leukaemia. He has resumed playing after receiving a bone marrow transplant, and in 2017 signed for Ulster, who play in the Pro14, on loan. He has signed with the Moana Pasifika for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.[3]
Leali'ifano was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia when he was seven years old.[4] He attended Epping Primary School and Peter Lalor Secondary College. He played rugby union for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2004 and 2005.[5]
Leali'ifano joined the Brumbies rugby academy program in 2006.[5] Later that year he was selected for the Australian Under 19 and Under 21 rugby teams.[6][7] He played fly-half for the Australian Under 19 rugby team that won the IRB World Championship in 2006.[5]
Leali'ifano made his Super Rugby debut in 2008 against the Crusaders in Christchurch.[2] He played fly-half in 2008 and 2009, before shifting to inside centre when Matt Giteau returned to the Brumbies in 2010.[4] Leali'ifano played six Super 14 games for the Brumbies in 2010 before being sidelined with a knee injury (rupture to his posterior cruciate). He recovered by July to play in the ITM Cup for Waikato in 2010,[2] and he played fourteen matches for the Brumbies in 2011.
In 2012, Leali'ifano was named Man of the Match by Super Rugby officials for eight out of the ten Super Rugby games he played.[2] Unfortunately, he suffered a broken ankle in his tenth game which ended his season and any chance of being selected for the Wallabies in 2012.[2]
The Brumbies is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland. The team represents the ACT, as well as the Far South Coast and Southern Inland regions of New South Wales (NSW).
Stephen Larkham is a retired Australian rugby union professional player, currently in the role of senior coach for Irish provincial side Munster, who compete in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. He spent his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007. He is best known for his long tenure with the Wallabies at international level, for whom he played 102 times. After initial selection at fullback from 1996 to 1997, Larkham was the first-choice Australian fly-half from 1997 to 2007, playing in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups. He is married to Jacqueline and has two children, Jaimee and Tiahna.
Adam Ashley-Cooper is a former Australian rugby union player who last played for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). He has won 121 caps for Australia, the third most of any Australia player. His nickname is "Mr. Versatile". He is currently the senior assistant coach for backs with the LA Giltinis.
Pat McCabe is a former professional Australian rugby union player, now Lawyer. He played for the Brumbies in the Super Rugby, and Warringah in Sydney, and represented Australia at various age grade levels before a senior debut in 2010. He was a utility player, able to cover inside centre, outside centre, winger or fullback.
Kurtley James Beale is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten-year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal descent, has had a long Super Rugby career with the New South Wales Waratahs and has played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale mainly plays at inside centre or fly-half but can play fullback or winger. In 2011 Beale received the John Eales Medal, awarded to Australian rugby's Player of the Year.
Matthew Papali'i To’omua is an Australian rugby union professional player who has played over 35 times for Australia since 2013. He plays for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby and his usual position is at fly-half or inside centre. He has previously played for the Brumbies in Australia and for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby.
Sekope Kepu is an Australian professional rugby union player. He is a prop and currently plays for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. He has previously played for Australian club New South Wales Waratahs, the French club Bordeaux, and London Irish. He also plays for Australia's Wallabies in international matches. Kepu made his international debut for Australia in 2008 and has been a regular in match-day squads ever since, now having played over 100 tests. Kepu is the most-capped prop to ever play for the Wallabies and is also one of the most-capped rugby players in history.
Bernard Foley is a former Australian rugby player of Irish descent. He used to play professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He can cover both fullback and fly-half. Foley has earned the nickname "the iceman" after successful game winning penalty goals, 2 August 2014. Foley also has the honour of having the smallest hands of any test capped rugby player., 18 October 2015.
Sam Carter is an Australian rugby union player who plays lock for Ulster. He formerly played for the Brumbies from 2011 to 2019, and won 16 caps for Australia between 2014 and 2017.
Michael Kent Hooper is an Australian professional rugby union player who is captain of the Australia national team, the Wallabies. His playing position is openside flanker.
Zack Holmes is an Australian rugby union player who plays for Toulouse in Top 14. He is a utility back who has played fly-half and at centre.
Tetera Faulkner is an Australian professional rugby union player. He currently represents the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. His regular playing position is prop.
Lolagi Visinia is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a wing or fullback for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.
Harumichi Tatekawa is a Japanese rugby union player who can play either as a fly-half or centre. He plays for the Kubota Spears in Japan and the Brumbies in the international Super Rugby competition.
Allan Alaalatoa is an Australian rugby union professional player who plays as a prop for the Brumbies in Super Rugby.
Henry Taefu is a Samoan rugby union centre who has signed with Moana Pasifika for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season, having previously played for the Western Force in Australia’s Super Rugby AU.
Dwayne E. Polataivao is a Samoan rugby union Scrum-half who plays for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. He also represents Samoa internationally.
The 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season is the 27th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous seasons were replaced with Super Rugby Unlocked, Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU in 2020, and Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby AU, and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in 2021. The 2022 edition will revert to a 12-team competition, with a single pool replacing the geographical conference system, as well as introducing a new name for the reformatted competition. The season is expected to run from 18 February, with the final to be played on 18 June - culminating before the start of the mid-year international window.
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