Ben Te'o (born 27 January 1987) is a former profesional rugby union and rugby league footballer who last played as a er for the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

in the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

. He previously played for both the

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a joint-venture ...

and the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...

with whom he won the

2014 NRL Grand Final The 2014 NRL Grand Final was the concluding and premiership-deciding match of the 2014 NRL season. Played on the evening of Sunday 5 October 2014 at ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury-Bankstown B ...

. Te'o also played at representative level for

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

in the

State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...

and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

at international level. Between 2014 and 2020 he played 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 it ...

, featuring as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

at international level for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

Background

Te'o was born in

Auckland, New Zealand 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 I ...

. His father is Samoan and his mother is English. He was a

Hibiscus Coast Raiders The Hibiscus Coast Raiders are a rugby league club based on the Hibiscus Coast, New Zealand. They compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition and between 2000 and 2005 were also involved in the Bartercard Cup competition. History ...

junior, and was selected to play for the New Zealand Under 16s in 2003 and was also a member of the 2005

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super ...

. He also played rugby union as a junior. Te'o moved to Australia at the age of 17 and lived on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

in Queensland, playing rugby league with

Keebra Park State High School Keebra Park State High School (KPSHS), referred to as Keebra Park or Keebra, is a co-educational public secondary school, located in the Gold Coast suburb of Southport, Queensland, Australia. Notable alumni Cricket * Ingrid Cronin-Knight – I ...

Rugby league career

Wests Tigers

In the

2007 NRL season The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusio ...

Te'o debuted for the

in Round 9 against the

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George, Sydney, St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since NR ...

, and scored his first try in first grade the next week against the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

. Te'o played 14 games and scored 2 tries in the 2007 season. In September 2007, he was called into the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

train-on squad with several other Wests Tigers players but was not selected for the tour of Great Britain. Te'o played 22 games and score 8 tries in the 2008 NRL season. Ben Te'o

He was named in the

squad for the

2008 Rugby League World Cup The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final ...

. He was overlooked for the first two Samoa matches, but made his international debut on 9 November at

CUA Stadium Penrith Stadium (known commercially as BlueBet Stadium) is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthers who play in the N ...

against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, scoring two tries.

Brisbane Broncos

Te'o signed with the

for the 2009 season. He made his debut for the Broncos at Second Row in Round 1 against the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

Te'o played 18 games and scored 4 tries in his first year for the Broncos in 2009. In May 2010, he was named in the

Queensland Maroons The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...

squad to play against the Blues. Te'o pledged his allegiance to the Australia and the Maroons being named as the 18th man for Game 1. It was announced on 5 June 2010, that Te'o had signed a contract extension which would see him remain at the Broncos until the end of the 2012 season. On 2 May 2012, it was announced Te'o had agreed to terms with the

up until the end of the

2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...

. Later that year, he was selected to make Origin debut for the Maroons in game 3.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

Te’o joined the Rabbitohs in 2013. Te’o represented Queensland and was selected in the Australian squad in 2012. Keen to establish himself as a starting forward in the Rabbitohs pack in 2013. Te'o played all three games of the

2013 State of Origin series The 2013 State of Origin series was the 32nd time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' rules. It was the first series to be administered by the ...

from the interchange bench, helping

extend their record for consecutive series victories to eight. In the 2014 pre-season Te'o played for the Rabbitohs in the 2014 NRL Auckland Nines tournament. He played from the interchange bench in all three games of the

2014 State of Origin series The 2014 State of Origin series was the 33rd time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams has been played entirely under 'state of origin' rules (1980 and 1981 were only 1 game series). It is ...

, which Queensland lost. Te'o scored a crucial try against the

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

in the semi final of the 2014 NRL finals series, upon returning from suspension for a

chicken wing tackle A chicken wing tackle is a move in Australian rules football and rugby league, in which a player locks an opponent's arm so that he or she cannot legally move the ball. It is a controversial move that has injured players and resulted in fines and ...

on Sam Thaiday. On 4 June 2014, Te'o announced that he would be leaving the Rabbitohs at the end of the season. Te'o played in the Rabbitohs premiership winning side in the

Brisbane Broncos (second stint) and retirement in 2021

On 4 June 2020, Te'o returned to the

, signing with the club for the rest of the 2020 season. He has been re-signed for 2021 as part of the Broncos' 30-man squad. On 19 August 2021, Te'o announced that he was retiring at the end of the season. He played his last game against the

in round 5 of the 2021 season. He retired immediately once the season was over.

Rugby union career

Leinster

On 12 August 2014,

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

announced Te'o had signed to play for them after the end of the

2014 NRL season The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Lea ...

. Te'o broke his arm within the first twenty minutes of his Leinster professional debut. After only three weeks he was named in the starting squad for Leinster after coach Matt O'Connor described him as an outstanding athlete.

Worcester Warriors

On 22 December 2015, Te'o signed with English club

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club, based in Worcester, England, that is currently in administration and which has been suspended and will be relegated from Premiership Rugby, the top division of domestic ...

in the Aviva Premiership from the 2016–17 season.

Toulon

On 21 August 2019, Te'o signed with French side

RC Toulonnais Rugby Club Toulonnais (), also known as RCT but usually Toulon; oc, Rugbi Club Tolonenc) is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. A current participant in the first-tier Top 14 competition, they ...

Sunwolves

In 2020, Te'o signed with Japanese Super Rugby club the Sunwolves. He left the club after the cancellation of the

2020 Super Rugby season The 2020 Super Rugby season was the 25th season of Super Rugby, an international men's rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR involving teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It is the third tournament in i ...

International

In May 2016 Te'o was called up by England coach Eddie Jones for the tour of Australia. He scored his first England try after coming on as a replacement against France on 4 February 2017. He made his international starting debut on 26 February 2017, against Italy during the Six Nations. Te'o played in the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand. He started the first test at inside centre. Te'o returned from injury to start his second test for England against Italy in the opening round of the Six Nations and went on to feature in all of England's 2018 Six Nations matches.

International tries

Controversy

In 2013, Te'o was cleared of assault after an altercation at a home in Brisbane. He claimed a woman attacked him with a stiletto and he acted in self-defence. The woman was left unconscious.

Footnotes

External links

NRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Te'o, Ben 1987 births Brisbane Broncos players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from New Zealand Dual-code rugby internationals England international rugby union players Hibiscus Coast Raiders players Junior Kiwis players Living people New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand rugby league players People educated at Keebra Park State High School People educated at St Paul's College, Auckland Prime Minister's XIII players Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players RC Toulonnais players Rugby league centres Rugby league locks Rugby league second-rows Rugby union players from Auckland Samoa national rugby league team players South Sydney Rabbitohs players Rugby league players from Auckland Wests Tigers players Worcester Warriors players Wynnum Manly Seagulls players Sunwolves players