Merewalesi Rokouono (born 15 September 1994) is a Fijian
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
,
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 ...
and
sevens player. She competed for both
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in the
2021 Rugby League World Cup
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received £2 ...
at
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
and for
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in
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 ...
at the
2021 Rugby World Cup
The 2021 Rugby World Cup was the ninth staging of the women's Rugby World Cup, as organised by World Rugby. It was held from 8 October to 12 November 2022 in Auckland and Whangārei, New Zealand. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, ...
. She signed with the
North Queensland Cowboys for the
2023 NRL Women's season
The 2023 NRLW Premiership was the sixth professional season of Women's rugby league in Australia. As announced in March 2022 by the governing body, the National Rugby League, the number of teams increased from six to ten.
The duration of the se ...
.
Playing career
Rugby union
Rokouono made her international debut for the
Fiji XV's against
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
at the
2016 Oceania Championship. A month later, she appeared for the Fijiana again at the
2017 World Cup Repechage tournament against
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
Rokouono also represented
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in
sevens rugby and featured in the
2018–19 Women's Sevens Series. She played in the
Dubai Sevens as the
Fijiana
The Fiji women's national rugby sevens team represents Fiji at regional and international sevens tournaments.
They have won three Pacific Games gold medals, two Oceania Championships, a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal a ...
finished in twelfth place. She scored a try in the Challenge Trophy semi-finals to beat China 12–0 and progress to the final at the
Sydney Sevens. She then featured at the
Langford Sevens in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
as the Fijiana fought to remain in the top 10 of the
World Sevens Series.
In 2022, Rokouono was named in the
Fijiana Drua
Fijiana Drua are a Fijian rugby union team based in Australia. Rugby Australia announced in February 2022 that they had joined the Super W competition.
History
The Fijiana Drua would is the first Fijian team to join the Super W competition with ...
squad in their debut
Super W season. She made her Super W debut against the
Rebels
Rebels may refer to:
* Participants in a rebellion
* Rebel groups, people who refuse obedience or order
* Rebels (American Revolution), patriots who rejected British rule in 1776
Film and television
* ''Rebels'' (film) or ''Rebelles'', a 2019 ...
in the first round and scored 16 points. She also made appearances against the
Reds
Reds may refer to:
General
* Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism
* Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863
* USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...
and the
Western Force
The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. ...
. She then helped end the
Waratahs 20 game winning streak as they handed them their first-ever defeat with a 29–10 victory. She also played in the final round against the
Brumbies in their 17–7 win. Rokouono appeared in the Grand Final against the Waratahs as the Drua wrapped up a perfect season by claiming their first title.
Rokouono was selected in the Fijiana squad for two test matches against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and Japan in May 2022. She started in the first test as Fiji lost 28–14 to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
at 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
)
, 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
, established_ ...
. She then came off the bench in the Fijiana first meeting with
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
In July, Rokouono was recalled into the
Fijiana
The Fiji women's national rugby sevens team represents Fiji at regional and international sevens tournaments.
They have won three Pacific Games gold medals, two Oceania Championships, a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal a ...
squad for the
Oceania Championship
An Oceania Championship is a top level international sports competition between Oceania athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
List of Championships
* 49er & 49er FX Oceania Championships
* ...
in New Zealand. She scored a try in the record 152–0 annihilation of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. She kicked a conversion to beat
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 Island, Manono an ...
31–24. In September she played in a warm up match against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. She was also named in the
Fijiana
The Fiji women's national rugby sevens team represents Fiji at regional and international sevens tournaments.
They have won three Pacific Games gold medals, two Oceania Championships, a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal a ...
squad for the
2021 Rugby World Cup
The 2021 Rugby World Cup was the ninth staging of the women's Rugby World Cup, as organised by World Rugby. It was held from 8 October to 12 November 2022 in Auckland and Whangārei, New Zealand. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, ...
.
Rugby league
In May 2023, the
North Queensland Cowboys announced that Rokouono and her Drua teammate
Vitalina Naikore
Vitalina Naikore (born 25 August 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership & Fiji women's national rugby league team, Fiji.
Primarily a er, she previously ...
had signed with the rugby league club for the
2023 NRL Women's season
The 2023 NRLW Premiership was the sixth professional season of Women's rugby league in Australia. As announced in March 2022 by the governing body, the National Rugby League, the number of teams increased from six to ten.
The duration of the se ...
.
In Round 9 of the
2023 NRL Women's season
The 2023 NRLW Premiership was the sixth professional season of Women's rugby league in Australia. As announced in March 2022 by the governing body, the National Rugby League, the number of teams increased from six to ten.
The duration of the se ...
, she made her debut for the Cowboys in a loss to the
Sydney Roosters.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rokouono, Merewalesi
1994 births
Living people
Fijian female rugby league players
Fijian female rugby union players
Fiji women's international rugby union players
Fiji international women's rugby sevens players
Fiji women's national rugby league team players
North Queensland Cowboys (NRLW) players