Folau Niua (born January 27, 1985) is an American rugby union former player. He played fly-half for the

United States national rugby sevens team The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and the team has been led by Head Coach Mike Friday since 2014. The main competition the team ...

from 2011 to 2022, and holds the U.S. record for most tournament appearances with over 65 caps.

Early career

Folau Niua is from East Palo Alto in California, and attended high school at Woodside High. Niua previously played his club rugby with the East Palo Alto Razorbacks, where he helped the club win the 2009 Division II national championship. He then played with San Francisco Golden Gate, where he helped the team win the 2011 Rugby Super League national championship. Niua played in the August 2011 national all-star championships, where his impressive scoring ability and fitness led the Pacific Coast team.

Rugby career

U.S. national team (7s)

Niua debuted for the United States national sevens team at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

, where, despite his lack of international tournament experience, he was the starting flyhalf. Niua was the top scorer for the U.S. in that tournament with 41 points, including a 78% success rate in kicking his conversions, helping the U.S. achieve a bronze medal. Niua signed a professional contract with USA Rugby in January 2012 to play full-time for the U.S. national sevens team. Niua was a regular on the U.S. national team in the 2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series, finishing the season as one of the leading scorers for the team. Niua also played for the U.S. during the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series, leading the team with 30 points at the 2012 South Africa Sevens. Niua also played for the U.S. during the 2016 Summer Olympics.

U.S. national team (15s)

Niua had been in consideration for a place at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but ultimately did not make the tournament roster. Niua made the roster for the 2015 Rugby World Cup where he played as a center.

Professional career

In February 2014, Niua signed a contract with the

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

. Niua was released by Glasgow at the end of the season having made only one appearance for the club.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niua, Folau American rugby union players United States international rugby union players 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Palo Alto, California United States international rugby sevens players Glasgow Warriors players Olympic rugby sevens players for the United States Rugby sevens players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in rugby sevens Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Rugby sevens players at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Rugby sevens players at the 2020 Summer Olympics 2015 Rugby World Cup players Rugby union fly-halves American expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in Scotland American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland American people of Oceanian descent