Paki Afu

Paki Afu
Personal information
Full name	Pakisonasi Afu
Born	7 September 1990 (age 31); Auckland, New Zealand
Height	190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position	Prop, Second-row, Lock
Club
Representative
Rugby union
Position	Centre
Club
Representative
	Source:

Last updated December 20, 2021

Pakisonasi Afu (born 7 September 1990) is a professional rugby footballer who has represented Tonga in rugby league and Tonga A in rugby union. He is contracted to Austin Elite Rugby to play Major League Rugby in the United States. Afu previously played rugby league in the NSW Cup for New Zealand Warriors and Wyong Roos as a prop.^[2] His usual position in rugby union is centre.

Early life

Pakisonasi Afu was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He played rugby league as an Otahuhu Leopards junior before moving to Australia in 2008.

Playing career

Rugby league

Afu played for the Canterbury Bulldogs in the Toyota Cup between 2008 and 2010. He was a Tongan international in 2009, and in 2010 he was named in the Junior Kiwis squad.^[3]

He signed with the Parramatta Eels for 2011 and played for the Wentworthville Magpies in the Bundaberg Red Cup.^[4] Following this, Afu went on a Mormon mission to the Philippines.^[5]

In 2014, he returned to New Zealand and the Otahuhu Leopards, playing in the Auckland Rugby League competition.^[6] In 2015, after moving to the Point Chevalier Pirates, he was selected for Auckland and also played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NSW Cup.^[7]^[8] Later that year he was signed by the Sydney Roosters.^[5]

He played for the Wyong Roos, the Roosters' reserve side, in the NSW Cup in 2016.^[7]

Rugby union

Afu switched codes to rugby union in 2017, representing Tonga A in the Pacific Challenge tournament where he scored two tries against Junior Japan,^[9] and in the Americas Pacific Challenge, scoring two tries against Canada A.^[10]^[11]^[12]

He signed with Austin Elite Rugby to play in the 2018 inaugural season of Major League Rugby in the United States.^[10]

Related Research Articles

The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the third ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at five Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament in 2017, where they achieved their best ever result as semi-finalists.

Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei, also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and convicted methamphetamine importer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international representative winger. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. Vatuvei was a member of the New Zealand national team that won the 2008 World Cup. He became the Warriors' top try scorer, and the first player in NRL history to score at least 10 tries in 10 consecutive seasons.

Toshio Laiseni is a Tongan former professional rugby league footballer who played as fullback or winger.

Awen Guttenbeil is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Since retiring after a playing career spanning fifteen years, he went on to work as a broadcaster for Sky Network Television and as a presenter on Maori TV sports show, Hyundai Code. In 2010 he coached his schoolboy club Point Chevalier Pirates in the Auckland Rugby League's Phelan Shield alongside former team mate and childhood friend Stacey Jones. He represented both the Tongan and New Zealand national sides in his long career and played in two World Cups. His position of preference was in the Second-Row. He was an integral part of the 2002 New Zealand Warriors squad, noted for being the first team in the club's history to make the NRL Grand Final. He now owns and operates several construction businesses in New Zealand including Passive Fire NZ.

Etuate Uaisele is a Tongan rugby league footballer who last played for the Dewsbury Rams in the Kingstone Press Championship. He plays as a winger or centre.

Paul Atkins is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played for the Otahuhu Leopards from 2002–2003, the Otahuhu-Ellerslie Leopards from 2004–2005, the Tamaki Leopards in 2006 and the Howick Hornets from 2007-2009.

Duane Darrin Mann is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative hooker, he captained both sides. Mann played his club football for New Zealand sides Glenora, North Harbour, Auckland Warriors and Counties Manukau, as well as for English club, Warrington.

Frank Watene is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop or second-row forward in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for Tonga, New Zealand Junior Kiwis (1996), New Zealand Māori, and at club level for Counties Manukau Heroes, Auckland Warriors, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Hull Kingston Rovers, Castleford Tigers, Dewsbury Rams and Halifax at club level.

James Richard "Richie" Blackmore is a rugby league coach, and former professional footballer who represented New Zealand. His position of preference was as a centre.

Iva Lewis Ropati is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and high school principal. He played at representative level for New Zealand, Auckland and Taranaki, and at club level for the Otahuhu Leopards, the Te Atatu Roosters, the Mangere East Hawks, the Sheffield Eagles, the Featherstone Rovers, Oldham, the Parramatta Eels, the Auckland Warriors and the Manurewa Marlins, as a centre.

Sam Mataora is a Cook Island professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. His positions were prop and second-row.

Ben Murdoch-Masila is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row and lock for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a New Zealand rugby union player for the Auckland Blues in the Super Rugby Pacific. Tuivasa-Sheck previously played rugby league as a fullback and captain for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. In 2018 Tuivasa-Sheck became the first New Zealand Warriors player to win the Dally-M Medal.

Samiuela "Sam" Lousi is a Tongan professional rugby footballer. He currently plays rugby union for the Scarlets after earlier being with the Hurricanes and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He has been capped for the Tonga national team. He previously played rugby league for the New Zealand Warriors.

Suaia Matagi, also known by the nickname of "Sui", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League, on a season long loan from the Huddersfield Giants. He is both a New Zealand and Samoan international.

Sio Siua Taukeiaho is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, lock and second-row forward for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. He has played for Tonga and New Zealand at international level.

Tuimoala Lolohea is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a stand-off for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both New Zealand and Tonga at international level.

The 2016 New Zealand rugby league season was the 109th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the re-formatted National Competition, run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The competition was won by the Akarana Falcons.

Leivaha Pulu is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Norths Devils in the Intrust Super Cup.

Joseph Manu is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger and centre for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and New Zealand at international level.

References

↑ "Tongan center adds to expanding Austin Elite roster". This is American Rugby. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
1 2 "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
↑ Football Feast for League Fans this Weekend Archived 15 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 23 October 2010
↑ "New Zealand Kiwis v Tonga - IRLF Test Match(Paki Afu)". Zimbio. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
1 2 "A man on a mission after lost years". New Zealand Herald. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
↑ "Team Lists Round 13 - July 5" aucklandleague.co.nz
1 2 "ISP Report: Warriors v Wyong". New South Wales Rugby League. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
↑ "Auckland Representative Side Named to Face NZ Maori Residents" . Retrieved 21 May 2015.
↑ "Fiji Warriors win Pacific Challenge in style". World Rugby. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
1 2 "Tongan center adds to expanding Austin Elite roster". This is American Rugby. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
↑ "Paki-Afu celebrates Tonga-call-up in style". Ellis rugby. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
↑ "Paki Afu: International". It's Rugby. 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

External links

Sydney Roosters profile

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[tiar-nov-2017-1] "Tongan center adds to expanding Austin Elite roster". This is American Rugby. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

[Statistics_at_rugbyleagueproject.org-2] 1 2 "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.

[3] Football Feast for League Fans this Weekend Archived 15 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 23 October 2010

[New_Zealand_Kiwis_v_Tonga_-_IRLF_Test_Match(Paki_Afu)-4] "New Zealand Kiwis v Tonga - IRLF Test Match(Paki Afu)". Zimbio. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2010.

[mission-5] 1 2 "A man on a mission after lost years". New Zealand Herald. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.

[teamlistjuly5-6] "Team Lists Round 13 - July 5" aucklandleague.co.nz

[nsw_cup-7] 1 2 "ISP Report: Warriors v Wyong". New South Wales Rugby League. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

[8] "Auckland Representative Side Named to Face NZ Maori Residents" . Retrieved 21 May 2015.

[pc-2017-9] "Fiji Warriors win Pacific Challenge in style". World Rugby. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

[austin-2017-10] 1 2 "Tongan center adds to expanding Austin Elite roster". This is American Rugby. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

[apc-2017-11] "Paki-Afu celebrates Tonga-call-up in style". Ellis rugby. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

[its-rugby-tonga-2017-12] "Paki Afu: International". It's Rugby. 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]