Malakai Fekitoa

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Malakai Fekitoa
Malakai Fekitoa 2015 RWC.jpg
Malakai Fekitoa playing for the All Blacks
Full name Malakai Fonokalafi Fekitoa
Date of birth (1992-05-10) 10 May 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Ha'apai, Tonga
Height Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).
Weight 99 kg (15 st 8 lb)
School Tonga College,
Liahona High School &
Wesley College
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Centre
New Zealand No. 1131
Provincial/State sides
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2012– Auckland 23 (25)
correct as of 21 October 2013.
Super Rugby
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2013
2014–		 Blues
Highlanders		 0
44		 (0)
(55)
correct as of 5 July 2015.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2014– New Zealand 13 (20)
correct as of 2 October 2015.

Malakai Fonokalafi Fekitoa (born 10 May 1992) is a New Zealand rugby union rugby player who plays as a second five-eighth or centre. He plays for The Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition, for Auckland in the ITM Cup, and for New Zealand internationally. He was a member of the title-winning 2015 Highlanders side, and of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning New Zealand side.

Early life

Fekitoa was born in Ha'apai, Tonga. In 2009, during a visit to New Zealand, he gained a rugby scholarship and enrolled at Wesley College.[1]

Career

He made his debut for Auckland in the ITM Cup in 2012,[1] making 12 appearances and scoring 3 tries,[2] and was signed by the Blues for the 2013 season.[3][4] However, he only made one appearance in 2013 for the Blues against France,[citation needed] and signed with the Highlanders for the 2014 Super Rugby season.[5][6][7][8] He was a key member of the Highlanders title winning-side in 2015.

All Blacks

Fekitoa was selected as a rookie in the All Blacks squad for the June 2014 test series against England, with coach Steve Hansen having signalled interest in him during the Super Rugby season.[9] He made his debut as a replacement player in first test of that series, a 15–20 win. With first-choice centre Conrad Smith injured out of the third and final test of the series, Fekitoa moved into the starting XV. His performance earned praise, with the Herald on Sunday saying that "the All Blacks coach has found the most elegant of solutions for Conrad Smith's back-up, one who carries more of an attacking threat than the veteran centre".[10]

Fekitoa was selected again in 2014 for the All Blacks squad for The Rugby Championship. He was originally named as a reserve for the first test against Australia, however, with Conrad Smith and his wife expecting, Fekitoa was called up into the starting XV.[11] He was a member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning New Zealand side

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Mortimer, James (16 August 2014) Conrad to have baby, Wallabies to get Malakai. allblacks.com. Retrieved on 4 November 2015.

External links

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