Frank Halai (born 6 March 1988) is a Tongan

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 winger for the

Austin Gilgronis The Austin Gilgronis were a professional rugby union team based in Austin, Texas, United States. The team was founded in 2017 as the Austin Elite, and competed in Major League Rugby. History On September 19, 2019, after extensive polling at th ...

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

(MLR). He previously played for Pau in the Top 14. and for Counties Manukau in the

ITM Cup ITM may stand for: Education * ITM Global School, an English medium co-educational day school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India * ITM Law School, one of the professional graduate schools of ITM University * ITM-IFM, Mumbai, India * Institut Tekn ...

, and before that

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

. Halai is a former All Black Sevens and

All Black 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, ...

representative, having played one test match in 2013.

Career

Halai made his

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

debut in Round 1 of the 2013 season when he started on the wing and played all 80 minutes of a 34-20 win over the Hurricanes in Wellington, scoring a try in the process. He ended the season as the

leading try scorer with 10, and was third in line breaks with 21, behind his Blues team mates Rene Ranger and

Charles Piutau Salesi Tu'ipulotu "Charles" Piutau (born 31 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing) position for England club Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and formerly for New Zealand's national ...

who had 24 each. On 16 March 2017, Halai leaves Wasps in England for French club Pau in the

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 ...

from the 2017-18 season.

Notes

External links

* *
Blues profile

Steelers profile
*
Wasps RFC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halai, Frank Tongan emigrants to New Zealand Tongan rugby union players 1988 births Living people New Zealand international rugby union players Rugby union wings Blues (Super Rugby) players Counties Manukau rugby union players Waikato rugby union players New Zealand international rugby sevens players Wasps RFC players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France People from Haʻapai Section Paloise players Austin Gilgronis players