Mark Telea

Mark Evander Tele'a (born 6 December 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Super Rugby club Blues and the New Zealand national team.

Club career

After showing promising form for during the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season, Telea was named in the squad for the 2020 Super Rugby season. Telea started the campaign as the first choice left wing for the Blues. Telea rewarded the faith of Blues staff, impressing with his early season form. Telea scored 3 tries during a Round 2 fixture, as the Blues defeated the Waratahs 32-12 in rainy conditions in Newcastle. Telea crossed again in Round 4 vs the Bulls in Pretoria, scoring impressively to dot the ball down as two defenders forced him into touch. He continued his good form in Super Rugby Aotearoa and in mid 2020 he was chosen for the North Island in the North vs South rugby union match. Telea was named in the squad for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup making his debut for the Mako in Round 1 against . Telea played 11 games for the Mako in the 2020 season as they went on to win their second premiership title in a row. Telea had a mixed 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season but returned to form during the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition, scoring a try in the final as the Blues defeated the 23-15. In Round 3 of the 2021 Bunnings NPC Telea suffered a season ending injury while playing for Tasman against . The side went on to make the final before losing 23–20 to .

International career

On 30 June 2022, after an impressive 2022 Super Rugby season with the Blues, Telea was called in to the All Blacks squad as a replacement.

On 12 November 2022, he was named at 14 in the starting line-up to go up against Scotland. During his debut match he scored two tries.

2023

Telea was a member of the starting lineup for the All Blacks side during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. On 8 September, in the opening game of the World Cup against France, he scored two tries, with the first try of the competition within 91 seconds of the start of the game being the fastest World Cup opening try to date. He was dropped by New Zealand ahead of their quarter-final match against Ireland due to a breach of team protocol. He returned for their semi-final clash against Argentina. He also featured in the grand final, which the All Blacks narrowly lost to the Springboks by a single point, the final score was 12–11.

Telea was awarded World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year at the conclusion of the World Cup.

Personal life

Tele’a’s mother is Samoan while his father is South African. He attended Massey High School in West Auckland.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Telea, Mark
1996 births
New Zealand rugby union players
Living people
Rugby union wings
North Harbour rugby union players
Blues (Super Rugby) players
Tasman rugby union players
New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent
New Zealand people of South African descent
New Zealand international rugby union players
2023 Rugby World Cup players