Etuini Talakai

Last updated

Etuini Talakai
Birth nameEdwin Talakai
Date of birth (1970-03-01) 1 March 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth Tonga
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight275 lb (125 kg)
School Wesley College [1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1991-1997 Suburbs ()
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1992 Hawke's Bay 3 (0)
1995 Auckland ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1992-1996 Tonga 28 (0)

Etuini Talakai, known also by his anglicised name Edwin Talakai (born 1 March 1970) is a Tongan former rugby union player who played as prop.

Contents

Career

Talakai debuted for Tonga 1992, tour to NZ with games with Taranaki, King Country, Thames Valley, North Harbour. Super 10, Canterbury at Christchurch and Auckland at Tonga, Tour to Australia with games against New South Wales, ACT and test with Australia. Tours to Western Samoa and tour to American Samoa 1993. 29 May 1993, during a match against Western Samoa at Nuku'alofa. He was present in the 'Ikale Tahi squad for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, playing two matches against Scotland and Ivory Coast. His last test cap for Tonga was against Fiji, in Suva, on 15 July 1995. He also played for Hawke's Bay and for Auckland in the National Provincial Championship. [2]

Related Research Articles

The Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competitions since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission, the Kangaroos are ranked first in the IRL Men's World Rankings. The team is the most successful in Rugby League World Cup history, having won the competition 12 times, and contested 15 of the 16 finals, only failing to reach the final in the 1954 inaugural tournament. Only five nations have beaten Australia in test matches, and Australia has an overall win percentage of 69%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samoa national rugby union team</span> National rugby union team of Samoa

The Samoa national rugby union team represents the Samoa Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. They are also known as "Manu Samoa", which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 11th in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiji national rugby union team</span> National sports team

The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union. Fiji competed in the Pacific Tri-Nations and now competes in its successor tournament Pacific Nations Cup. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. They have beaten the major rugby playing sides of Wales, Scotland, Australia, France, Italy, Argentina and England. The only major sides Fiji are yet to beat are New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonga national rugby union team</span> Rugby union team

The Tonga national rugby union team represents the Tonga Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ʻIkale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a traditional challenge – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. The Ikale Tahi achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but having lost to New Zealand and Canada, were unable to achieve what would have been their first-ever presence at the quarter-finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samoa national rugby league team</span> Rugby league team that represents Samoa in rugby league football

The Samoa national rugby league team represents Samoa in rugby league football and has participated in international competition since 1986. Known as Western Samoa before 1997, the team is administered by Rugby League Samoa and are nicknamed Toa Samoa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Va'aiga Tuigamala</span> Samoa rugby footballer (1969–2022)

Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala Pulelua Fesola'i, sometimes known as Inga Tuigamala, was a professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. Born in Samoa, he represented New Zealand in rugby union, winning 19 caps, and later Samoa in both rugby league and rugby union. He played in one rugby league and two rugby union World Cups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Vagana</span> Former NZ & Samoa international rugby league footballer

Nigel Faletoese Vagana, also known by the nicknames of "Pablo", and "Chiko", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, as a wing, centre and five-eighth. A New Zealand and Samoa international representative, he retired as the Kiwis' all-time top try-scorer with 19. Vagana played club football in New Zealand for the Warriors, in England for Warrington, and in Australia for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Vagana represented the New Zealand national team 32 times between 1998 and 2006, including playing in the 2000 World Cup. He is also the cousin of Bradford Bulls prop-forward Joe Vagana, and former Silver Ferns netball player Linda Vagana.

Namulauulu Alama Ieremia is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former international player for Western Samoa and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosese Rauluni</span> Fiji international rugby union player

Mosese Nasau Rauluni is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer. He usually plays at scrum half, and played for Saracens in the Guinness Premiership in England. He has played for Fiji, including captaining them. He is the younger brother of Jacob Rauluni and first cousin of Waisale Serevi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Bunce</span> Rugby player

Frank Eneri Bunce is a retired New Zealand rugby union player and coach. He played international rugby for both Western Samoa and New Zealand in the 1990s, appearing in the 1991 and 1995 World Cups. He played in four international matches for Samoa and 55 for New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awen Guttenbeil</span> NZ & Tonga international rugby league footballer

Awen Guttenbeil is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Since retiring after a playing career spanning fifteen years, he went on to work as a broadcaster for Sky Network Television and as a presenter on Maori TV sports show, Hyundai Code. In 2010 he coached his schoolboy club Point Chevalier Pirates in the Auckland Rugby League's Phelan Shield alongside former team mate and childhood friend Stacey Jones. He represented both the Tongan and New Zealand national sides in his long career and played in two World Cups. His position of preference was in the Second-Row. He was an integral part of the 2002 New Zealand Warriors squad, noted for being the first team in the club's history to make the NRL Grand Final. He now owns and operates several construction businesses in New Zealand including Passive Fire NZ.

Ipolito Fenukitau is a Tongan rugby union footballer. He has played over 10 times for the Tonga national rugby union team, including representing them at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. His usual position is at flanker.

Duane Darrin Mann is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative hooker, he captained both sides. Mann played his club football for New Zealand sides Glenora, North Harbour, Auckland Warriors and Counties Manukau, as well as for English club, Warrington.

Leo Lafaiali'i is a Samoan rugby union footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Maʻu</span> NZ & Tonga international rugby league footballer

Manu Maʻu is a rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both Tonga and New Zealand at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomone Kata</span> New Zealand and Tonga dual coade international rugby footballer

Solomone Kata is a professional dual-code rugby footballer who plays as a wing for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team.

Toleafoa Andrew Anitelea Aiolupo, known also as Andy Aiolupotea is a former Samoan rugby union player. He played as a fullback.

Faletoa Va'apu'u Vitale, also known as Va'a Vitale, is a Samoan rugby union player. He plays as a fly-half.

The 2022 end of year rugby union tests, also known as the 2022 Autumn internationals, were a number of rugby union test matches played during the months of October and November. Some of the games were known as the Autumn Nations Series for marketing purposes. Also involved in matches were some second-tier teams. These international games count towards World Rugby's ranking system, with a team typically playing from two to four matches during this period.

References