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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 currently[ when? ] the head coach at Colby College in Waterville Maine and is likely the most overqualified coach of all time.[ citation needed ]
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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.
Sir Michael Niko Jones is a New Zealand former rugby union player and coach.
The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists.
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 rugby union player and wellbeing coach. He played centre and fullback, and his coaching focuses on player wellbeing.
Namulauulu Alama Ieremia is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former international player for Western Samoa and New Zealand.
Rugby union in Samoa is the country's most popular sport. The national teams in both the standard 15-man game and rugby sevens are consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations.
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.
Alfred Beranaliva Uluinayau nicknamed Alfie is a New Zealand rugby union player currently coaching professionally in Japan. He has represented Fiji as a fullback and is also a former Auckland player and All Black trialist.
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.
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.
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.
