Date of birth | 13 October 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
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Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Meli Nakauta (born 13 October 1971) is a Fijian former rugby union international who represented Fiji in nine Test matches during the late 1990s.
Nakauta played much of his rugby in Sydney and won a Shute Shield title with Manly in 1997, earning Man of the Match honours in the grand final. He also appeared for Parramatta, Drummoyne, Gordon and Warringah during his career. [1]
A centre, Nakauta debuted for Fiji in 1998 and was a member of the side at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He scored a last-minute consolation try in Fiji's World Cup quarter-final play-off loss to England at Twickenham. [2]
The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a Fijian former rugby union football player and coach, and is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Serevi is renowned for his achievements in rugby sevens, while also enjoying a long career in fifteen-a-side rugby at both club and national team levels. Nicknamed "The Wizard" by commentators, he is widely considered to be the greatest rugby sevens player in the history of the game. A biography of Serevi titled Waisale Serevi: King of Sevens by Nick Darvenzi was published in 2018.
Edward Jones is an Australian rugby union coach and former player. He currently coaches the Australia national rugby union team after returning to replace Dave Rennie in January 2023 following his sacking from England. He was the head coach of the England national team from 2015 to 2022. His first stint coaching the Wallabies was between 2001–2005 where he coached them to successful Bledisloe Cup games and a Rugby World Cup final.
Francis Meli is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Samoa and New Zealand international representative centre or winger, he played in the National Rugby League for New Zealand club, Auckland Warriors before playing in the Super League for English clubs, St Helens and Salford.
Nicolas Zisti is an Italian Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played club level rugby league (RL) for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the St. George Dragons, the Hunter Mariners, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Bradford Bulls, usually as a wing, but also as a centre, and representative level rugby union (RU) for Italy, and at club level for Rugby Roma Olimpic, as a wing or centre.
Gary Larson is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward in the 1980s and 1990s.
Lote Daulako Tuqiri is a former professional dual-code rugby footballer who primarily played as a winger across both codes. He represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union, and Fiji in rugby league. Tuqiri first rose to prominence as a professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons, as well as the Fiji and Australia national sides. He was therefore a high-profile signing for rugby union in 2002, winning 67 caps for Australia and being a part of their 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. He played rugby union for the Waratahs in the Super 14 and Leicester Tigers in England in season 2009–10. Tuqiri's contract with the Australian Rugby Union was terminated on 1 July 2009. No immediate reason was given, and Tuqiri returned to rugby league in 2010, playing for the Wests Tigers of the NRL. In September 2013, he signed a short-term contract with Irish rugby union giants, Leinster to play in the Pro12 in a three-month deal. Just 6 weeks out from the 2014 NRL season, Tuqiri signed with his third NRL club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, on a one-year deal.
Geoffrey Toovey, also known by the nickname of "Toovs" or "Tooves", is the former head coach of the Bradford Bulls and former professional rugby league footballer. Toovey played halfback for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, then played as a hooker later in his career at the Northern Eagles. He played 286 first-grade matches in all, and captained Manly to the 1996 ARL premiership and the 1995 and 1997 grand finals. He played in 13 international matches for Australia between 1991 and 1998. Toovey is the former head coach of Manly-Warringah.
Mark "Spudd" Carroll is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 1980s and 1990s. He represented Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin, and played club football in Australia for the Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and in England for the London Broncos.
Noa Nadruku is a Fijian former rugby footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. After representing Fiji in rugby union, he switched to play rugby league in Australia for the Canberra Raiders and was named as one of the best 25 players for the Raiders' 25-year anniversary.
David Fairleigh is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and current assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played the majority of his club football in Australia for the North Sydney Bears, winning 1994's Rothmans Medal. This was followed by a season at the Newcastle Knights, and another in England at St. Helens, with whom he won the 2001 Challenge Cup Final before retiring. Since retiring in 2001 he has spent the last 19 years coaching in the NRL mainly as an Assistant Coach. Teams he has worked at include the Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels, New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers and the Nth Queensland Cowboys.
Aaron Groom is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Asquith Magpies in the Ron Massey Cup. Groom previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League and Sheffield Eagles in the 2009 Challenge Cup. He primarily plays as a halfback, but can also fill in at hooker.
The rivalry between the England and Australia national rugby union teams started on 9 January 1909 at Blackheath's Rectory Field in England, during the 1908–09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, dubbed the 1st Wallabies. The Wallabies won the match 9–3. The two nations next met in 1928, at Twickenham, during the 1927–28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada and England won 18–11. After the 1939–40 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II, twenty years passed before England and Australia next met, again at Twickenham, with Australia winning the 1948 test 11–0. It would then be another decade until the two nations played another test against one another. In 1958, they met again at Twickenham, and England won 9–6.
Anthony Seibold is an Australian rugby union and rugby league coach, and former rugby league player. He is currently defence coach with the England national rugby union team, and head coach for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles of the National Rugby League (NRL).
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Kandy Sports Club is a Division 'A' rugby union team, based in Kandy, Sri Lanka, competing in the Dialog Rugby League. The club has been the most successful Sri Lankan club in the Sri Lanka Rugby Championship, winning 18 league titles in the last twenty years, which is the most wins by any club since the expanded competition commenced in 1950. The club has also won twenty Clifford Cups and in the period between 1995 and 2012 the club did not lose a Clifford Cup title, although in 1998 there was no tournament and in 2006 the club withdrew from the tournament. Kandy SC had won the league title for a record nine consecutive years between 2000 and 2009.
Semi Radradra Turagasoli Waqavatu is a Fijian professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. He currently plays rugby union for the French club Lyon and the Fiji national team. Nicknamed 'Semi Trailer', Radradra has played primarily as a wing in both codes.
Apisai Koroisau is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker and is the captain of the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin series.
Viliame Hekmatzadah "Bill" Kikau is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and Fiji at international level.
Justin Olam is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL), and Papua New Guinea at international level.