 France vs Tonga at 2011 Rugby World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Samiu Kaufusi Vahafolau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 April 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ovaka, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 111 kg (17 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Samiu Kaufusi Vahafolau (born 24 April 1978 in Ovaka, Tonga) is a former rugby union footballer [1] who played for AS Béziers in the French Pro D2 as well as the Tongan national team. His usual position was number eight.
Vahafolau was born in Tonga and immigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1991. He made his Super 12 debut for the Blues in 1999, but never fully settled in that competition, spending 5 years alternating between stints with the Blues and Highlanders.
After a stint in Japan with the Sanyo Wild Knights, Vahafolau moved to France in 2007 to join Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14. He would find a home at Biarritz and play some of the finest rugby of his career, scoring 6 tries in 24 matches for the squad in his first season. He was the starting number 8 for Biarritz through the 2009-10 season before falling down the pecking order in 2010-11.
After 4 seasons with Biarritz, Vahafolau dropped down a league to sign with AS Béziers of the Pro D2 for 2011-12.
Vahafolau made his debut for Tonga in the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup but was not selected to the final squad.
After two years away from the national team, he was brought back in 2011 and scored a try on his return against Fiji on 2 July.
Association Sportive Béziers Hérault, often referred to by rugby media simply by its location of Béziers, is a French rugby union club currently playing in the second level of the country's professional rugby system, Pro D2. They earned their most recent promotion as 2011 Fédérale 1 champions, but the club also won 11 Top 14 titles since its establishment in 1911.
Dimitri Yachvili Markarian is a French former rugby union footballer who played as a scrum-half for Biarritz and France. He played for France from 2002 to 2012, earning 61 caps and scoring 373 points. With them he played in the final of the 2011 World Cup losing to New Zealand and won two Grand Slams in 2004 and 2010. In club rugby, he won a European Cup in 2012 and played in two European Cup finals in 2006 and 2010 with Biarritz. With this club, he also won two French championship titles in 2005 and 2006. With his previous club, Gloucester, he was champion of England in 2002. After the end of his playing career, he became a rugby consultant, a career he began while still a player.
Yannick Nyanga is a former professional rugby union player who played as a flanker for Racing 92 and France, and is also known for his long tenure at Toulouse. He was a part of the victorious French team of the 2006 Six Nations Championship.
Gonzalo Quesada is an Argentine rugby former player and current coach, who presently works as head coach for the Italy national rugby union team.
Isireli Bobo, is a Fijian rugby union footballer.
Fetu'u Moana Vainikolo is a Tongan rugby union player who for the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby (MLR). His regular playing position is Wing.
Lachlan Hamish Munro is a former New Zealand professional rugby union player. Munro is a versatile player and he is capable of covering every position in the backline.w
Vereniki Goneva is a Fijian rugby union footballer who plays for Mont-de-Marsan in France's Pro D2, the second division. He plays as a centre or wing.
Yoann Maestri is a former French rugby union international footballer who played for Toulon, Toulouse, and Stade Français all in the Top 14.
Michael McCarthy is an English-born retired Irish professional rugby union. He played his club rugby for the Irish provincial team Leinster Rugby in the Pro14, having joined from rival Irish team Connacht in 2013. He played in the second row and as a flanker.
Paul Lusi Perez is a Samoan rugby union player.
Sona Taumalolo is a former professional rugby union player. He played at prop for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup competition; the Chiefs in Super Rugby; several French clubs; and the Tonga national team. He retired at the end of the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season.
Francis Saili is a New Zealand rugby union player, currently playing for French club Racing 92. He plays primarily as a centre, though he can also play wing. He is the younger brother of Blues loose forward Peter Saili.
Joshua Furno is an Italian rugby union player who plays Lock for US Dax in Pro D2. He also represents Italy as a member of the Italian national team.
The 2014–15 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2014–15 season. It ran alongside the 2014–15 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). The average team salaries at the outset of the 2014–15 season were €5.97m; Biarritz and Perpignan had the highest team salaries with €11.07m.
Alexandre Menini is a retired French rugby union player, who played prop for Top 14 side Toulon. He previously played for Oyonnax, Béziers, Pays d'Aix RC, Stade Montois and Biarritz.
The 2018–19 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2018–19 season. It ran alongside the 2018–19 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).
The 2019–20 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2019–20 season. It ran alongside the 2019–20 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).
Samuel Marques, often cited as Samuel Marquès, is a French-Portuguese rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half. He is of Portuguese descent and represents Portugal at international level.
Manuel Howard Michael Edmonds is an Australian rugby union coach based in France and a former professional player who was capped twice for the Wallabies.