Sione Langi Vailanu (born 27 January 1995) is a Tongan professional

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 ...

player who plays as a number eight for

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

club

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

and the Tonga national team.

Club career

Sione's early career consisted of 4 years of playing rugby sevens in Japan with the

Asahi University is a private university in Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The school was first founded in 1971 as Gifu Dental University (岐阜歯科大学 ''Gifu Shika Daigaku''). It was renamed Asahi University in 1985 when the management department was added ...

. While he was playing in Japan he was scouted by Afa Hanipale who recommended him to invitational team Samurai RFC. Sione was invited to play for Samurai RFC at the Hong Kong 10s tournament in 2017 It was at the Hong Kong 10s, playing for Samurai RFC, that he impressed the then Saracens Academy Director Donald Barrell. Barrell was with Samurai RFC as their forwards coach and following a successful tournament approached Sione with a view to moving to Saracens. It was his performance here that led to joining the Tongan national team "Ikale Tahi" for two games, against Japan and Romania, with a defeat and victory respectively. Along with several other members of the Tongan team, he chose to depart from national duty early in order to ease the mid-season joining in England. Sione joined Saracens at the beginning of January 2018 to act both as injury and international call-up cover, with an initial contract to the end of the 2018/19 season. Several injuries, including to his hand, would limit him to four games across all Saracens' competitions in the remainder of the 2017/18 season. In February 2019, Sione announced his signing by Wasps, in order to receive more game time and to partially fill the position vacated by

Nathan Hughes Nathan William Jeremy Hughes (born 10 June 1991) is a professional rugby union player who is currently playing in the Japan Rugby League One side Ricoh Black Rams having left Bristol Bears in 2022. Born in Fiji he qualified to play for England ...

who departed at the conclusion of the 2018/19 season. In April 2021,

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club, based in Worcester, England, that is currently in Administration (law), administration and which has been suspended and will be relegated from Premiership Rugby, the top ...

announced that Vailanu would be joining them at

Sixways Stadium Sixways Stadium is a stadium in Worcester, England. It is currently used for rugby union and association football matches and is the home stadium of Premier 15s side Worcester Warriors Women, University of Worcester Warriors and football side ...

on a two-year contract.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vailanu, Sione Saracens F.C. players Rugby union number eights 1995 births Living people Asahi University alumni Tongan rugby union players Tonga international rugby union players Rugby union flankers Wasps RFC players Worcester Warriors players Glasgow Warriors players 2023 Rugby World Cup players Tongan expatriate rugby union players in England Rugby union players from Nukuʻalofa