Posolo Tuilagi (born 28 July 2004) is a professional
rugby union player, who plays as a
lock for
Top 14 club
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
. Born in
Samoa, he qualified for France through residency, having lived in
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales (; ca, Pirineus Orientals ; oc, Pirenèus Orientals ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ...
since the age of 3, and has played for the
France national under-20 team.
He is the son of former
Samoa international and Perpignan player
Henry Tuilagi
Enele "Henry" Tuilagi (born 12 August 1976) is a Samoan former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He appeared ten times for his national team Samoa national rugby union team, Samoa and p ...
, as well as the brother of
Club Athlétique Périgueux Dordogne player Henry Tuilagi Jr. He is the nephew of
England player
Manu Tuilagi and former Samoa internationals
Freddie,
Alesana,
Anitelea and
Sanele Vavae Tuilagi.
Early life
Posolo Tuilagi was born on in
Samoa before moving to England where his father,
Henry, then played for
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
. He arrived in
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
, France at the age of three with his parents when Henry signed for the
city's club. Posolo grew up and was educated – he graduated from high school in 2023 – in the Perpignan area where his father settled after his professional career. He started playing rugby for
French Catalonia
Northern Catalonia, North Catalonia, ; french: Catalogne (du) Nord ; oc, Catalonha (del) Nòrd; es, Cataluña (del) Norte) French Catalonia or Roussillon refers to the Catalan-speaking and Catalan-culture territory ceded to France by Spain t ...
's leading club in 2010.
Club career
Having played in
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
youth teams, he made his professional debut for the Blood and Golds on 17 September 2022 in a home loss against
La Rochelle.
International career
After a few caps for the France national under-18 team, Tuilagi made his debut for
France U20 on 10 March 2023 in the
Six Nations Under 20s Championship
The Six Nations Under 20s Championship is an international rugby union tournament. It is the under-20s equivalent of the Six Nations Championship. Originally the tournament was in an under-21 format but changed to under-20s in 2008. England wer ...
match against
England. A few months later, he was named in the France U20 squad for the
World Rugby U20 Championship
The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior nati ...
and scored a brace in a 35–14 win over
New Zealand on 29 June 2023.
On February 2 2024, Posolo made his first appearance for the French Men's Senior Team, coming off the bench in the second half of France's opening game against Ireland.
Personal life
Tuilagi's father is former
Samoa international and
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
player
Henry Tuilagi
Enele "Henry" Tuilagi (born 12 August 1976) is a Samoan former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He appeared ten times for his national team Samoa national rugby union team, Samoa and p ...
. He is the nephew of
England centre Manu Tuilagi and former Samoa internationals
Freddie,
Alesana,
Anitelea and
Sanele Vavae Tuilagi.
His brother, Henry Tuilagi Jr. is also a professional rugby union player who currently plays in the
Nationale, the third tier of club competition in France.
Honours
;France U20
*
World Rugby Under 20 Championship
** Champion (1):
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
*
Six Nations Under 20s Championship
The Six Nations Under 20s Championship is an international rugby union tournament. It is the under-20s equivalent of the Six Nations Championship. Originally the tournament was in an under-21 format but changed to under-20s in 2008. England wer ...
** Runner-up (1):
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
References
External links
USA PerpignanAll.Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuilagi, Posolo
2004 births
Living people
Tuilagi family
Rugby union locks
USA Perpignan players
Samoan expatriates in France
Samoan rugby union players
French rugby union players
France international rugby union players