Birth name | Salesi Fili Finau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | January 4, 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Neiafu, Vava'u Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Homebush Boys High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Salesi Fili Finau (born Neiafu, 4 January 1972) is a former Tongan-born Australian rugby union player who played as flanker.
Born on the island of Vava'u and educated at the Homebush Boys High School, Finau first played for West Harbour RFC in 1990, before his debut for the New South Wales representative team, which was during a match against the ACT Kookaburras played in Canberra, in 1993. He also played two seasons for the Waratahs in the Super 12. [3]
At the international level, Finau debuted for the Australia Schoolboys XV, which was touring in Britain and Europe in 1990. His debut for the Wallabies was during the 1993 end of the year Australia tours in North America and Europe, although he played five uncapped matches for an Australian XV. His only test cap for Australia was during the third Bledisloe Cup test against the All Blacks in Dunedin, on 16 August 1997, replacing the injured flankers Matt Cockbain and Daniel Manu as blindside flankers. [4]
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