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| Date of birth | 1961 (age 60–61) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Maama Vaipulu (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Lemeki Vaipulu (born circa 1961) is a Tongan former rugby union player who played as fly-half. He played for Tonga in the 1987 Rugby World Cup, playing only the match against Canada, in Napier, on 24 May 1987. [1] He is the father of the rugby union flanker Maama Vaipulu. [2]
The Tonga national rugby union team represents Tonga in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ʻIkale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – 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.
The Tonga Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of rugby union in Tonga. They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. There is a rugby union playing population of fewer than 800 out of a total population of 100,000.
Rugby union is the national sport of Tonga. Tonga are considered to be a tier 2 rugby nation by the International Rugby Board.
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