Angus Wilkie Faiumiolemau Timroseavao (born 22 March 1990) is a New Zealand-born rugby union player, currently playing as a Prop for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

in the

Mitre 10 Cup The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in t ...

. Taavao was called into New Zealand's international team, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

, as injury cover in 2018 and has played 14 tests since his international debut. Taavao was a member of New Zealand's squad in the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

. Taavao has previously represented the Blues and

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

in New Zealand, as well as Northern Suburbs, Sydney and the Waratahs in Australia.

Early life

Although born in New Zealand, Taavao would also have been eligible to play international rugby for Australia through his mother, or for Samoa through his father. Taavao was schooled at Dilworth School in Auckland, New Zealand.

Career

Early career

Taavao was selected for the New Zealand U20 side for the 2010 tournament in Argentina, where he captained the side in his first match. He made his

debut in the same year. Taavao was a member of the Blues wider training group in 2011. He was a member of the full Blues squad from the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

until the 2015.

2016–2018

Taavao signed a two-year contract for the Waratahs and Sydney Rays for 2016 through 2017. Taavao signed for the Chiefs for the

2018 Super Rugby season The 2018 Super Rugby season was the 23rd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. After two seasons in which 18 teams particip ...

and became a regular starter for them early in the season, with established All Blacks Nepo Laulala and Atunaisa Moli ruled out with serious injuries. Taavao was one of the best-performing players in the Chiefs during 2018 and was called into the All Blacks, as injury cover for Crusaders prop, Joe Moody. Taavao made his international debut for New Zealand on 29 September 2018, during the fifth round of the 2018 Rugby Championship, against Argentina's Los Pumas, at Buenos Aires. Taavao replaced Blues prop, Ofa Tuungafasi, off the bench in the 51st minute and had a good impact off the bench, contributing towards a highly dominant scrum. The All Blacks beat Los Pumas 35–17, winning the Rugby Championship in the process. Taavao then made two more appearances for New Zealand on their end-of-season tour, including a start in a 69–31 win over Japan.

2019

With

Tim Perry Timothy D. Perry (born June 4, 1965) is an American former basketball player. Following his college career with Temple he played professionally for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association and Liga ACB. Playing career Perry played colle ...

not considered for selection due to injury, Taavao was named in New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Rugby Championship. After a start against Argentina and appearing as a substitute against South Africa, as well as the record 26–47 defeat to Australia, Taavao established himself as a regular replacement off the bench for New Zealand, alongside Auckland teammate, Ofa Tuungafasi. On 28 August, All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen named Taavao as one of 31 players in New Zealand's squad for the

. With 108-test veteran, Owen Franks missing out on the squad entirely, Taavao's selection received widespread news coverage. Franks claimed that Taavao, as well as Nepo Laulala, "deserve their places in the World Cup squad". Taavao played in all of New Zealand's tests during the competition, starting in a 63–0 victory over Canada, also scoring his first try for New Zealand in a 71–9 win over Namibia. Having proved himself as a star performer for the All Blacks, Taavao also came off the bench in all three knockout tests of the World Cup, with New Zealand beating Wales 40–17 in the Bronze Final, claiming third place.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ta{{okinaavao, Angus 1990 births New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand people of Australian descent New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent Blues (Super Rugby) players Auckland rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Rugby union props Rugby union players from Auckland Living people New South Wales Waratahs players New Zealand international rugby union players Chiefs (rugby union) players People educated at Dilworth School Sydney (NRC team) players