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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Penioni Tagituimua | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 January 1999 Suva, Central Division, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker, Halfback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 10 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penioni Tagituimua (born 20 January 1999) [2] is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker or halfback for the Kaiviti Silktails in the Ron Massey Cup and Fiji at international level.
Tagituimua began playing rugby league in 2013 for the Nadera Panthers. [3]
While attending Suva Grammar School in 2015, he was awarded a three-year rugby union scholarship at Ellesmere College. [4] [3]
In 2019, Tagituimua was the only player from the Fijian domestic competition to be included in Fiji's squad for their mid-season match against Lebanon. Initially selected to be the 18th man, a number of injuries and unavailabilities allowed him to make his Test debut off the interchange bench in the 56–14 win. [5] [6] In November, Tagituimua played off the interchange bench in both of Fiji's Oceania Cup matches.[ citation needed ]
Tagituimua joined the Kaiviti Silktails for their inaugural season in 2020, scoring twice [7] in their first and only match of the COVID-19 affected year.
In 2021, Tagituimua was named the captain of the Kaiviti side. [8]
On 23 May 2021, he made his NSW Cup debut after being called into the North Sydney Bears' team to play Mounties. [9]
In the second group stage match of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Tagituimua scored two tries for Fiji in their 60-4 victory over Italy. [10]
Tagituimua's father Ilaitia is a pastor and was a spiritual adviser for the Fijian team at the 2008, 2013, and 2017 Rugby League World Cups. [2] Tagituimua's uncle Nemani Matirewa was a Fijian dual-code rugby international who was a pioneer of rugby league in the country. [11]
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