Benjamin Vainga Charles Tameifuna (; born 30 August 1991) is a professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

for

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

club Bordeaux Bègles. Born in New Zealand, he represents

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

Club career

Tameifuna made his Hawke Bay's debut as a teenager in 2010. He represented the New Zealand under 20s at the

2011 IRB Junior World Championship The 2011 IRB Junior World Championship was the fourth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaced the now defunct under 19 and under 21 world championships. The event was organised by rugby's ...

, and in March 2012 he made his Chiefs debut after an injury sidelined

Ben Afeaki Ben Tu'umoe Paul Afeaki (born 12 January 1988) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. His regular playing position was prop. He represented the Chiefs in Super Rugby and North Harbour in the ITM Cup between 2010 and 2014 and also mad ...

. In 2013, he signed a contract extension with the Chiefs until 2014. After four years with the Chiefs, in June 2015 Tameifuna signed with

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name to ...

, who changed their name from Racing Metro in the same month. They are based in Paris and are part of the French

. On 14 May 2020, Tameifuna left Racing 92 to sign for French rivals

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

from the 2020–21 season.

International career

In May 2012 he was selected for 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 ...

to train for the three Test series against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. At over 130 kg, he was the heaviest member of the All Black squad. Tameifuna was not capped for New Zealand. Tameifuna made his international debut for Tonga against Wales on 16 June 2017. Tameifuna was first in their squad for the 2016 European tour but was not capped on that tour.

Personal life

Tameifuna's uncle

Sona Taumalolo Sona Taumalolo (born 13 November 1981) is a former professional rugby union player. He played at prop for in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup competition; the in Super Rugby; several French clubs; and the Tonga national team. He retired a ...

was another Chiefs prop, who also played for Tonga at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In July 2012, with hooker

Mahonri Schwalger Mahonri Schwalger (born 15 September 1978) is a former Samoan professional rugby union footballer who last played in New Zealand for the Chiefs in the Super Rugby competition and for Counties Manukau in the National Provincial Championship. He ...

from Samoa, the two props combined for 60 minutes to help the Chiefs beat the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

20–17, at

Waikato Stadium FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the ...

in Hamilton. When Tameifuna signed to play in France, Taumalolo was already playing there, for

FC Grenoble The Football Club de Grenoble Rugby (FCG) is a French rugby union club based in Grenoble and founded in 1892. FCG was champion of France in 1954 and runner-up in 1918 and in 1993 during a controversial final, being deprived of the title of cham ...

Honours

; Racing 92 * 1×

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

References

External links

Chiefs profile

Yahoo NZ profile

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tameifuna, Ben 1991 births New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand sportspeople of Tongan descent Chiefs (rugby union) players Hawke's Bay rugby union players Waikato rugby union players Racing 92 players Rugby union props Rugby union players from Auckland Living people New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France Tonga international rugby union players 2019 Rugby World Cup players 2023 Rugby World Cup players