Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei (formerly Ruatangi Vatuvei) (born December 8, 1977) is a

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n-born

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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 ...

footballer. Vatuvei played rugby in

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 ...

for

Toshiba Brave Lupus Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup i ...

in the

Top League Japan Rugby League One (formerly the Top League) is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the ...

and has also played for the

Japan national rugby union team The Japan national rugby union team, often known as the Cherry Blossoms, Sakura, and more recently The Brave Blossoms (''ブレイブ・ブロッサムズ - Bureibu burossamuzu'') is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has ...

under the IRB three-year residence qualification. Vatuvei is extremely strong, usually in the second row but also used by Toshiba coach Masahiro Kunda in the centres. In 2006, Vatuvei obtained Japanese citizenship. In 2007, Vatuvei moved from Toshiba to

Kintetsu Liners Hanazono Kintetsu Liners rugby team are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kintetsu Corporation which was founded in 1929. They have won the All-Japan Championship three times as an amateur team. Their home is at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Hig ...

, which was demoted from the

in the previous season. This did not prevent

John Kirwan John Kirwan may refer to: * John Óge Kirwan (fl. 1530–1531), mayor of Galway * Sir John Kirwan (1650–1721), Irish entrepreneur * John Kirwan (cricketer) (1816–1899), English cricketer * John Kirwan (politician) (1869–1949), Australian ...

from including him in the Japan squad for RWC 2007. Vatuvei was the top try scorer in the 2004-5 Top League season with 18 tries. He is a cousin of New Zealand

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 ...

international winger

Manu Vatuvei Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986), also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and convicted methamphetamine importer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international repres ...

and an elder brother of Tonga rugby union international flanker

Sione Vatuvei Sione Talikavili Vatuvei (born 14 March 1983), also known by his middle name Talikavili or Kavili, is a Tongan-born Japanese rugby union footballer. He represented Japan at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. His preferred position is blindside flanker. ...

References

External links

Luatangi Vatuvei International Statistics at the 2007 Rugby World Cup Official Site
1977 births Living people Tongan rugby union players Japanese rugby union players Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo players Hanazono Kintetsu Liners players Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi players Tongan emigrants to Japan Naturalized citizens of Japan Japan international rugby union players Tongan expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in Japan Tongan expatriate sportspeople in Japan Rugby union locks {{Japan-rugbyunion-bio-stub