Vaea Anitoni

Vaea Anitoni

Birth name	Vaea Naufahu Anitoni
Date of birth	(1970-09-20) 20 September 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth	Tongatapu, Tonga
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) San Mateo Rugby Club () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1990-1991 ʻEua [1] () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1990 Tonga 1 (0) 1992–2000 United States 46 (130) Correct as of 10 February 2014 [2] National sevens team Years Team Comps United States

Vaea Naufahu Anitoni (born 20 September 1970) is an American former rugby union player who played wing. Anitoni is the all-time leading try scorer for the U.S. national team. Anitoni played for the United States national team from 1992 to 2000. During that period, Anitoni played in 46 matches, starting 44, and scored 26 tries, a record which still stands today. ^[3]

International career

Anitoni made his debut 13 June 1992 against Canada, and scored his first try in his next match for the US on 21 May 1994 against Canada. ^[4] Anitoni's peak years for the national team were from 1996–1998, when he scored 22 tries in 28 matches. ^[4] Anitoni twice scored 4 tries in a single match – once against Japan in July 1996 and again against Portugal in April 1998. ^[4] Anitoni played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, where he started 3 matches, ^[5] and was regarded as a game breaker and a key player for the US national team. ^[6]

Anitoni also played sevens for the U.S. national sevens team. During the mid to late 1990s Anitoni was regarded as one of the most consistent players for the U.S., due to his ability as a creator with speed. ^[7] Anitoni was a member of the preliminary squad for the United States during the 2000 Rugby World Cup Sevens. ^[8]

Club rugby

Anitoni played for the Pomona rugby club, San Francisco's Olympic Club, and the San Mateo club which claimed the national sevens championship in 1997. ^[9]

International tries

Try	Opposing team	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score	Ref.
1	Canada	George Allen Field, Long Beach	Test match	21 May 1994	Lost	10–15	[10]
2	Argentina	George Allen Field, Long Beach	1995 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	28 May 1994	Lost	22–28	[11]
3	Ireland	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Test match	5 November 1994	Lost	15–26	[12]
4	Canada	Boxer Stadium, San Francisco	1996 Pacific Rim Championship	11 May 1996	Won	19–12	[13]
5	Canada	Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver	1996 Pacific Rim Championship	18 May 1996	Lost	20–24	[14]
6	Japan	Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo	1996 Pacific Rim Championship	16 June 1996	Lost	18–24	[15]
7
8	Hong Kong	Boxer Stadium, San Francisco	1996 Pacific Rim Championship	29 June 1996	Won	42–23	[16]
9
10	Japan	Boxer Stadium, San Francisco	1996 Pacific Rim Championship	6 July 1996	Won	74–5	[17]
11
12
13
14	Uruguay	Fletcher's Fields, Markham	1996 Pan-American Championship	21 September 1996	Won	27–13	[18]
15	Japan	Boxer Stadium, San Francisco	1997 Pacific Rim Championship	7 June 1997	Won	51–29	[19]
16	Wales	Wilimington	Test match	5 July 1997	Lost	20–30	[20]
17	Wales	Boxer Stadium, San Francisco	Test match	12 July 1997	Lost	23–28	[21]
18	Portugal	Estádio Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon	Test match	8 April 1998	Won	61–5	[22]
19
20
21
22	Spain	El Puerto de Santa María	Test match	12 April 1998	Won	49–3	[23]
23
24	Hong Kong	Aberdeen Stadium, Hong Kong	1998 Pacific Rim Championship	16 May 1998	Lost	25–43	[24]
25	Argentina	Cricket and Rugby Club, Buenos Aires	1999 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	15 August 1998	Lost	24–52	[25]
26	Canada	Stanley Park, Toronto	1999 Pacific Rim Championship	19 June 1999	Won	18–17	[26]

Honors

Individual

• US Rugby Hall of Fame ^[27]
• US all time leading try scorer

References

1. Photo of the Tonga 1991 squad Archived 6 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine on The Tonga Chronicle
2. "Vaea Anitoni". Planet Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 August 2004. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
3. "US Rugby Legend Ponders HOF, Tries Record". Flo rugby. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
4. "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Vaea Anitoni - Test matches". ESPN scrum.
5. "Vaea Naufahu Anitoni". ESPN scrum.
6. "Key player: Vaea Anitoni". BBC News. 17 September 1999. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
7. "Frederick Rugby Football Club, 1999 News Archives". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
8. "USA Rugby, USA Names Preliminary Squad for RWC7s". Archived from the original on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
9. Kirsch, George B.; Harris, Othello; Nolte, Claire Elaine (1 January 2000). Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   9780313299117.
10. "Canada Tour - Long Beach, 21 May 1994". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
11. "1995 Rugby World Cup Qualifier, Americas, Round 2 - Long Beach, 28 May 1994". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
12. "United States of America Tour - Lansdowne Road, 5 November 1994". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
13. "Pacific Rim Championship - San Francisco, 11 May 1996". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
14. "Pacific Rim Championship - Vancouver, 18 May 1996". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
15. "Pacific Rim Championship - Tokyo, 16 June 1996, 14:00 local, 05:00 GMT". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
16. "Pacific Rim Championship - San Francisco, 29 June 1996". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
17. "Pacific Rim Championship - San Francisco, 6 July 1996, 16:00 local, 23:00 GMT". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
18. "Pan-American Championship - Markham, 21 September 1996". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
19. "Pacific Rim Championship - San Francisco, 7 June 1997, 13:00 local, 20:00 GMT". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
20. "Wales Tour - Wilmington, 5 July 1997". espn.co.uk. ESPN . Retrieved November 7, 2018.
21. "Wales Tour - San Francisco, 12 July 1997". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
22. "United States of America Tour - Lisbon, 8 April 1998". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
23. "United States of America Tour - El Puerto de Santa Maria, 12 April 1998". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
24. "Pacific Rim Championship - Hong Kong, 16 May 1998". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
25. "1999 Rugby World Cup Qualifier, Americas, Round 4 - Buenos Aires, 15 August 1998". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
26. "Pacific Rim Championship - Toronto, 19 June 1999". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
27. "Fairfield man first Polynesian native into US Rugby Hall of Fame". Daily Republic. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.