Nafi Tuitavake (born 21 January 1989) is a New Zealand Rugby union player who plays for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the Super rugby competition. He is the younger brother of former

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, ...

winger

Anthony Tuitavake Anthony Tuitavake (born 12 February 1982 in Auckland) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays as a centre or on the wing. Tuitavake, of Tongan descent, is a fast attacking centre. Career He had a great season in 2005 for both the Hi ...

. He was named in the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

five-man wider training group for 2014. On 21 September 2016, Nafi sign professional contract with English club

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

in the

Aviva Premiership Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

from the 2016–17 season. Tuitavake made some good appearances in Saints' second side the Northampton Wanderers, before being drafted into the first team as the wider squad suffered with injuries. The Tonga centre thrived and secured a place in the first team quickly and most recently helped his side secure European Champions Cup rugby for the 2017/18 season as the side beat

Stade Francais Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

by just one point. Tuitavake will travel with Tonga for their 2017 summer internationals, battling with fellow Pacific Island nations, and Saints teammates, for a

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

qualification for the 2019 competition. At the end of the 2018/19 season, Tuitivake was released by the Northampton Saints. He gained selection to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and made just one appearance, against England, before being sent home with a fractured arm.

Career highlights

*North Harbour ITM CUP 2010 *New Zealand U20 2009 *New Zealand Sevens 2008 *North Harbour U21 2007 *North Harbour U19 2006 *North Harbour U16 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuitavake, Nafi New Zealand sportspeople of Tongan descent New Zealand rugby union players North Harbour rugby union players SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne players Crusaders (rugby union) players 1989 births Living people People educated at Massey High School Rugby union players from Auckland Rugby union wings Expatriate rugby union players in France New Zealand expatriates in France New Zealand international rugby sevens players Tonga international rugby union players Northampton Saints players Bulls (rugby union) players RC Narbonne players 2019 Rugby World Cup players