Malaki Iupeli (23 November 1965 - 1996) is a former Samoan rugby union player. He played as a flanker.

Career

At club level, Iupeli played for

Marist St. Joseph Marist St. Joseph Sports Club is Samoan rugby union club from Apia. They play in green and white hooped jerseys and enjoy widespread support in Samoa. History Early years Before 1970, having two Marist Brothers' rugby clubs was not feasible in a ...

for his entire career. His first international match was on May 28, 1988 against Tonga at Apia. Although not being included in the

1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This was ...

roster, he was part of the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

roster, playing only the match against England, in Durban. He played 16 matches for Samoa.

Death

In 1995, Iupeli was diagnosed with HIV, and later his wife Peati Iupeli and his eldest young son became infected with the virus. A year later, both Malaki and his eldest son died. Peati, being HIV-positive, was fired from the bank where she had previously worked. After the death of her husband, she became a well-known AIDS activist, raising single-handedly the second child from Malaki, a son named Natal. She lived to be 60 years old and died on 28 May 2015.

References

External links

Malaki Iupeli International Statistics
1965 births 1996 deaths AIDS-related deaths in Samoa Rugby union players from Apia Samoan rugby union players Rugby union flankers Samoa international rugby union players 1995 Rugby World Cup players {{Samoa-rugbyunion-bio-stub