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| Birth name | Saveasiuleo Fredrik Lafaiali'i | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 30 January 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (243 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Leo Lafaiali'i (born 30 January 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a Samoan rugby union footballer.
Leo Lafaiali'i made his debut for Samoa in 2001 against Tonga, going on to play in Test matches against Fiji, New Zealand, and Tonga later on in the year. After a number of appearances in 2002, he went to the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, playing against Uruguay, Georgia, England, and South Africa. Lafaiali'i toured with the Pacific Islands in 2004 and helped Samoa to qualify for the World Cup in France. He featured in the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup for Samoa and was selected in the Samoa squad to go to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he played in his second global tournament.[ citation needed ]
Earlier in his career he played for Auckland winning national titles in 1996 and 1999. He was selected for the Blues in 1997 and was part of the championship winning side for that season. Drafted to the Chiefs in 1999 he returned to the Blues in 2000 & 2001 before departing to Sanyo in Japan. He has also played for Overmach Parma in Italy, Bayonne in France and is currently playing for Yokogawa in Japan.[ citation needed ]
He is, as of September 2024, the rugby head coach at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
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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.
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.
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.
Junior Malili "Mils" Muliaina is a former professional rugby union player who most recently played for San Francisco Rush in the US PRO Rugby competition. He played primarily as a fullback, though he has also played as a centre and on the wing.
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.
Ma'a Allan Nonu is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand who currently plays for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays in the inside centre, but can also cover outside centre and wing.
Rodger Siaosi Toutai Kefu is a Tongan-Australian professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the Tonga national team since 2016.
Benjamin Alo Charles Atiga is a former rugby union player and current wellbeing coach. He played centre and fullback, and his coaching focuses on player welfare.
Namulauulu Alama Ieremia is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former international player for Western Samoa and New Zealand.
Rugby union in Fiji is a popular team sport and is considered to be the national sport of the country. The sport was introduced to Fiji in the 1880s. Fiji is defined as a tier two rugby nation by World Rugby. The national team has competed at the Rugby World Cup and made it as far as the quarter-finals. Their sevens team is also noted for their success, winning multiple Olympic gold medals, World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Tasesa James Lavea is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. He is of Samoan and Māori descent and heritage, and he coaches the 1st XV for Saint Kentigern College.
Jerome Kaino is a former New Zealand rugby union player.
Soane Tongaʻuiha is a Tongan-born, New Zealand-educated, rugby union player and coach. His longest stint was spent with the Northampton Saints, with whom he formed a formidable reputation and rose to prominence, becoming a fan favourite. He has played internationally for Tonga. His position of choice is loose-head prop, although he sometimes plays at tight-head. He is known for his large size and fierce runs.
Paul Williams is a New Zealand-born Samoan international rugby union player who plays for Stade Français in the French Top 14. His regular playing positions are Centre, Wing and fullback. He is a son of former All Black Bryan Williams and the brother of Gavin Williams, who plays internationally for Samoa and for French club Clermont.
Kieran James Crowley is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who is the former head coach of Italy. He has also coached the New Zealand Under-19s in the 2007 World Championships as well as coaching provincial side Taranaki. He previously served as head coach of Canada. He also spent five seasons coaching Benetton Rugby.
Dylan Gabriel Mika was a New Zealand-born rugby union player who represented the national teams of both Samoa and New Zealand.
Charles Chris Faumuina is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Toulouse. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Augusitino Junior Poluleuligaga is a Samoan rugby union international player. He previously played for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiers before returning to Auckland and played two years with Auckland rugby union team before retiring 2015. He played as a Scrum-half and was educated at De La Salle College, Mangere East. His name is often abbreviated to Junior Polu. He is currently the Rugby Development Officer (RDO) for the Papatoetoe Rugby Football Club and occasionally plays for the La Salle Collegians old boys rugby team.
Siuatonga Likiliki, also known by the nickname of "Tonga", is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and winger for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
John Gregory McKee is a rugby union coach from New Zealand. He is a former coach of the Fiji national rugby 15s team.
