Birth name | Lukhan Herman Lealaiauloto Tui | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 19 September 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 123 kg (19 st 5 lb) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | John Edmondson High, NSW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (formerly Lukhan Tui, born 19 September 1996), is an Australian rugby union player. He plays for the Northampton Saints in Premiership Rugby. He has played for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, and his usual position is lock but he has also played in the backrow for the Wallabies particularly at blindside flanker. [3]
Lukhan Herman Lealaiauloto Tui was born to parents Herman Lealaiauloto [Ermehn] and Teresa Tuimaseve, his mother, at Otara, South Auckland in New Zealand before he moved with his mother to Sydney, Australia, at a young age.
He changed his name to Lukhan Salakaia-Loto later as an adult in 2018 following the death of the stepfather who had raised him, [4] hyphenating Salakaia as the surname of his late stepfather, mother and siblings with Loto from part of his birth father's last name. [4] Lukhan's Samoan bloodline comes from the villages of Lelepa in Savaii and Faleula in Upolu.
Lukhan attended John Edmondson High School in Liverpool, Australia. [5] He initially played junior rugby league and was selected in age-group teams for Western Suburbs, [6] and NSW Samoa. [7]
He joined the Randwick club in 2014 to play rugby union for their colts side. [8] In 2015, he played for Randwick's first grade Shute Shield team, [9] and was named (as Lukhan Lealaiaulolo-Tui) for the Australia under-20 team [10] that played in the World Junior Championship in Italy. [11]
Later in 2015, he signed a three-year deal with the Queensland Reds. [12] Tui made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds against the Bulls in Pretoria on 16 April 2016. [5]
He was selected in the Queensland Country squad for the National Rugby Championship in 2015, [5] but did not play for that side due to injury. He made his NRC debut the following season for the Brisbane City team.
In 2017, national coach Michael Cheika named Lukhan Tui on the bench for Australia in the match against South Africa at Bloemfontein, [13] and he made his international debut on 30 September 2017, [14] replacing Adam Coleman after the first hour in a 27-all tied test. [15]
On 1 March 2022, it was confirmed that Salakaia-Loto would move to England to join Northampton Saints in the Premiership Rugby ahead of the 2022-23 season. [16]
In January 2023, Salakaia-Loto was suspended for four weeks following his sending-off for dangerous play in a Champions Cup match against La Rochelle. [17]
Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Reds | 4 | 1 | 3 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | Reds | 9 | 6 | 3 | 422 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | Reds | 6 | 4 | 2 | 348 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
2019 | Reds | 15 | 14 | 1 | 1,028 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
2020 | Reds | 7 | 6 | 1 | 437 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
2020 AU | Reds | 10 | 10 | 0 | 725 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2021 AU | Reds | 7 | 7 | 0 | 557 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2021 TT | Reds | 5 | 4 | 1 | 349 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | Reds | 6 | 4 | 2 | 281 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 69 | 56 | 13 | 4,233 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
Chris Whitaker is an Australian professional rugby union coach and former international player. As of 2018 he is head coach of the Sydney Rays in Australia's National Rugby Championship, and the interim head coach of Super Rugby side the New South Wales Waratahs,
Drew Alan Mitchell is a former Australian rugby union professional player. He played on the wing or as fullback. Up to the 2006 season he played for the Queensland Reds. He played for the Western Force for the 2007–09 Super 14 seasons. From 2010 to 2013 he played for the New South Wales Waratahs. Since 2013 he has played for RC Toulon. He made his debut for Australia in 2005 and is Australia's highest try scorer in World Cup history.
Michael Cheika is an Australian professional dual-code rugby coach and former player who has been coaching the Argentina national team since 2022.
Souths Rugby Club or Souths is an Australian rugby union club based in Brisbane, and the Southern districts area that currently plays in the Queensland Premier Rugby club competition. The club was established in 1948, and since then has produced a host of Queensland and Wallaby rugby players.
Stephen Thomas Moore is an Australian former rugby union footballer, who played Super Rugby for the Brumbies and Queensland Reds and has 129 caps for Australia internationally, including 24 tests as captain.
James Horwill is an Australian former rugby union player, who has played for the Australian national side, with 61 caps to his name. He captained the Wallabies a number of times, including during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Horwill played ten seasons in Super Rugby for the Queensland Reds, followed by four seasons with English club Harlequins. His position was second row.
James David O'Connor is an Australian professional rugby union footballer who currently plays for Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. He made his international debut for Australia in 2008 at the age of eighteen. He has played for the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. In 2013 he played for English Premiership side London Irish, and in the 2014–15 season he moved to France to play in the Top 14 competition for Toulon. His regular playing positions are Fly-half, Centre, Fullback and Wing.
Angus Cottrell is an Australian former professional rugby union player. His playing position is flanker. He currently plays for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR).
William Skelton is an Australian rugby union player, who plays as a lock for La Rochelle in the French Top 14 competition.
Taqele Naiyaravoro is an Australian professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. His regular playing position is the wing.
Etonia Nabuli is a Fijian-born Australian professional rugby footballer who plays rugby league for the Wentworthville Magpies in the Ron Massey Cup. He previously played rugby league for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League as a wing, also representing Fiji. He also played rugby union for the Queensland Reds.
Hendrik Tui is a Japanese international rugby union player who currently plays as a loose forward for Suntory Sungoliath in the Top League. From 2015 he will represent the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. He also plays the position of Wing.
Taniela Tupou is an Australian professional rugby union player. He plays as a tight head prop for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby Pacific and has represented Australia in international rugby. Born in Tonga he qualifies for Australia by residency.
The Under-19s Rugby Championship is an Australian rugby union competition for men's youth teams that forms part of the pathway for selection to the Junior Wallabies. The competition is hosted annually by Rugby Australia and players must meet an under-19 age requirement. Previously, this tournament was played closer in time to the World Junior Championship and used an under-20 age requirement.
James Tuttle is an Australian rugby union player. He is currently contracted to the Melbourne Rebels after previously playing for the Queensland Reds.
The 2017 Rugby Championship was the sixth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four countries' national unions.
Izack Rodda is an Australian professional rugby union player. He currently plays for the Western Force in Super Rugby. Rodda previously played for the Queensland Reds and French Top 14 team Lyon OU. He is capped for the Australian national team and played at the Rugby World Cup in 2019. His regular position is lock.
Liam Wright is an Australian professional rugby union player who captains the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. He also plays for Queensland Country in Australia's NRC. His usual position is flanker. He has been ca
Fraser Andrew Dingwall is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints and the England national team.