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2017 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
The 2017 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup was the twelfth edition of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, Pacific Nations Cup annual international rugby union tournament. The 2017 title was contested solely by the Pacific nations of Fiji national rugby union team, Fiji, Samoa national rugby union team, Samoa and Tonga national rugby union team, Tonga. Teams competing in previous years, Canada national rugby union team, Canada, Japan national rugby union team, Japan and the United States national rugby union team, United States were not scheduled to participate in the tournament for 2017 or 2016 due to the 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying format. The top two teams on aggregate across the 2016 and 2017 Pacific Nations Cups for Japan 2019, with the team finishing third scheduled to enter the 2019 Rugby World Cup – play-off qualifications, repechage for qualification. Having not hosted a test match since playing Fiji in June 2009, Tonga was given the go-ahead to host a test match with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Round-robin Tournament
A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ... in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & C. Merriam Co), p.1980. A round-robin contrasts with an elimination tournament, in which participants/teams are eliminated after a certain number of losses. Terminology The term ''round-robin'' is derived from the French term ''ruban'', meaning "ribbon". Over a long period of time, the term was Folk etymology, corrupted and idiomized to ''robin''. In a ''single round-robin'' schedule, each participant plays every other participant once. If each participant plays all others twice, this is freque ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faifili Levave
Faifili Levave (born ) is a Samoan rugby union player currently playing for the Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars in the Top League. He previously notably played for the Wellington Lions and the Hurricanes in Super Rugby. His position of choice is flanker. Levave was born in Wellington. He attended St Patrick's College. Levave made his provincial rugby debut at the age of 19 for Wellington. The next year, aged twenty, he made the Hurricanes wider training group. However, a pectoral strain kept him on the sidelines for most of the year. In 2007, Levave played 14 games for the Lions, including five starts at blindside flanker. Earlier in the season he played for the New Zealand U21 team. Levave signed a two-year deal with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz in 2014, he previously played for another Japanese club in 2012 the Honda Heat Mie Honda Heat is a Japanese rugby union team based in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The owner of the club is Honda Motor. (Suzuka is known for t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daniel Faleafa
Daniel Tonga Faleafa (born 13 February 1989) is a Tongan rugby union player. He plays in the flanker and occasionally lock position for the France based Pro D2 side, Colomiers. Faleafa also represents Tonga at international level. Early years Daniel Faleafa attended Mt Roskill Grammar School and Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland. He played for the New Zealand national schoolboy rugby union team in 2007. Playing career Daniel Faleafa is a powerful and athletic backrower who is very adept at playing lock due to his brilliant lineout ability. He started off as a member of the Auckland Rugby Academy and in 2009 was a key member of the New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team that won the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship. Daniel joined Northland in on loan in 2009 where he played 1 ITM Cup game before returning to Auckland to make another 2 ITM Cup appearances that same season. Faleafa joined Northland full-time from 2010 and made 15 appearances over the next t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valentino Mapapalangi
Valentino Mapapalangi (born 18 July 1993) is a Tongan rugby union player. He plays in the number 8 and blind side position. He previously played for the England based Premiership Rugby side, Leicester Tigers. Mapapalangi also represents Tonga at international level. Early career Mapapalangi was educated in Auckland, he attended Kelston Boys High School and Liston College both in West Auckland before attending Sacred Heart College in his final year. After graduating from high school, he spent 2 seasons in the youth structures before heading south to looking for further opportunity. 2 seasons spent in Waikato gave him the breakthrough he was looking for and he headed to in 2015. Club career After spending time with the development squad in the early part of the year, Mapapalangi made the Manawatu squad ahead of the 2015 ITM Cup season and scored 3 tries in 9 appearances during the campaign. His performances attracted the attention of Super Rugby franchise, the who i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latiume Fosita
Latiume Junior Fosita (born 25 July 1992) is a Tonga rugby union player who currently plays as a utility back for in the Mitre 10 Cup and the Tonga national rugby union team. Career Fosita started his career with a surprise move from Auckland to South Africa where he turned out for Wits University in the 2013 Varsity Cup tournament. However, the move west didn't work out as planned and he played only 2 games before heading back to New Zealand. He linked up with Northland ahead of the 2013 ITM Cup, the move had teething problems for both parties as the Taniwha endured a disappointing campaign and Fosita only made 1 appearance. 2014 was more fruitful with Fosita making 10 appearances and Northland showing a much improved performance. International career Fosita made his international debut for Tonga on 9 November 2013 in a match against in Bucharest and has since established himself as a regular member of the side. While he was initially not selected for the 2019 Rugby ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cooper Vuna
Kerry Cooper Vuna (born 7 May 1987) is a professional rugby footballer who plays on the wing for Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. He played rugby league as a for the New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League competition, before switching to rugby union to play Super Rugby for the Melbourne Rebels. Early years Cooper Vuna is of Tongan descent. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and grew up in Otahuhu with his family. He has three sisters, and four brothers. He is the older brother of Joseph Vuna. Vuna played high school rugby union until he was 15, switching to rugby league after being scouted by the New Zealand Warriors. His junior club was the Otahuhu Leopards. And he represented the Auckland Lions in the Bartercard Cup and NSWRL Premier League. Rugby league career Vuna signed with the New Zealand Warriors and made his National Rugby League, first grade debut late in 2004, in Round 24 against the Parramatta Eels. Vuna went on to play f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Captain (sports)
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In either case, it is a position that indicates honor and respect from one's teammates – recognition as a leader by one's peers. In association football and cricket, a captain is also known as a skipper. Various sports have differing roles and responsibilities for team captains. Depending on the sport, team captains may be given the responsibility of interacting with game officials regarding application and interpretation of the rules. In many team sports, the captains represent their respective teams when the match official does the coin toss at the beginning of the game. The team captain, in some sports, is selected by the team coach, who may consider factors ranging from playing ability to leadership to serving as a good moral example to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siale Piutau
Siale Piutau (born 13 October 1985) is a New Zealand-born Tongan rugby union player who plays at centre. Although born and educated in New Zealand, he represented Tonga internationally from 2011 to 2019. He is the elder brother of New Zealand player Charles Piutau. Piutau was selected as Tonga's captain for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and announced his retirement from international rugby, after a win against the USA. Playing career Provincial Rugby Piutau joined Counties Manukau during the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup. Lining up next to former All Black Tana Umaga in midfield, Piutau was in the 2010 ITM Cup for the Steelers. He started every game for Counties, and was one of the club's top performers over the course of the season. As a reward for his efforts, he was named the 2010 Counties Manukau Player of the Year. Super Rugby Piutau was included in the Chiefs Wider Training Group for the 2010 Super 14 season, and made his Super Rugby debut as a substitute late in the seaso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nafi Tuitavake
Nafi Tuitavake (born 21 January 1989) is a New Zealand Rugby union player who plays for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the Super rugby competition. He is the younger brother of former All Black winger Anthony Tuitavake. He was named in the Crusaders five-man wider training group for 2014. On 21 September 2016, Nafi sign professional contract with English club Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership from the 2016–17 season. Tuitavake made some good appearances in Saints' second side the Northampton Wanderers, before being drafted into the first team as the wider squad suffered with injuries. The Tonga centre thrived and secured a place in the first team quickly and most recently helped his side secure European Champions Cup rugby for the 2017/18 season as the side beat Stade Francais by just one point. Tuitavake will travel with Tonga for their 2017 summer internationals, battling with fellow Pacific Island nations, and Saints teammates, for a Rugby World Cup The Ru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Halaifonua
David Halaifonua (born July 5, 1987) is a Tongan national rugby union player who currently plays for Hull RUFC in the National League 2 North and for the Tonga national team. Halaifonua first played club rugby for Warringah, a rugby union club located in New South Wales, Australia, that compete in their competitions, the Shute Shield and the Tooheys New Cup. He then moved to France as he signed a contract for US Bergerac, who compete in Federale 1, the third level of domestic competition in France. During the 2013–14 season, Halaifonua joined fellow Tongans Hale T-Pole and Paula Kaho in Sri Lanka. He played for the Sri Lanka champions Kandy SC. On 4 December 2014, Halaifonua officially signed for English side Gloucester Rugby who compete in the Aviva Premiership from the 2014–15 season. Halaifonua made his international debut for Tonga in the 2009 IRB Pacific Nations Cup losing 22-36 to Fiji. On 26 April 2018, David left Gloucester, having played 44 times, to sign for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italian Rugby Federation
The Italian Rugby Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Rugby) or FIR is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Italy. The FIR has one seat on the 28-member World Rugby Council, the governing body of World Rugby. (All other members of the Six Nations have two seats on the Council.) There are two fully professional Italian clubs that play in the United Rugby Championship, in the European Rugby Champions Cup and in the European Rugby Challenge Cup — Benetton and Zebre. There are twelve semi-professional Italian clubs that play in the Top12, four of which qualify to play in the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition to qualify to the European Rugby Challenge Cup. History On 25 July 1911 a ''Propaganda Committee'' was formed to promote the sport of rugby union in Italy. In 1928 this body became the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR). In 1934 the FIR was a founder member of the ''Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur'', now known as Rugby Europe. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marius Mitrea
Marius Mitrea (born 25 February 1982) is a rugby union referee who represents the Italian Rugby Federation. Born in Romania, Mitrea moved to Treviso, Italy in 1999 after he finished high school, where he learnt Italian, Spanish, French and English on top of his first Romanian language. While in Galați, Marius played for his local age-grade rugby team and continued with the sport once moved to Italy. In 2006 he took up refereeing, and in 2007 he refereed his first match, CUS Padova U15 vs Casale U15 in Padua. Professionally, Mitrea started refereeing in the National Championship of Excellence in 2009 and made the step up to European rugby during the 2011–12 Pro12 - his first match being Connacht vs Scarlets on 10 September 2011. He also debuted at European level, refereeing during the 2011–12 European Challenge Cup before making the jump up to the Heineken Cup in 2013. He made his international debut in 2010, where he refereed Belgium vs Canada in Brussels. He later referee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
