Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a Tongan professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

for Gallagher Premiership club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team. Prior to rugby union, Kata played

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 11 ...

for the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

and was contracted to the

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

in the NRL, and also played for

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 ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at the international level.

Early life

Kata was born in Neiafu,

, and moved to New Zealand in 2011 on a

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 it ...

scholarship at Sacred Heart College, Auckland. Kata represented the Tongan under-21 side.

Professional career

2013

Kata switched to

in 2013, signing with the New Zealand Warriors. Kata played for the Warriors

Holden Cup The NRL Under-20s (known commercially as the Holden Cup due to sponsorship from Holden) was the top league of professional rugby league for players aged 20 years or younger in Australasia. Contested by sixteen teams, the Under-20s competition c ...

team and was part of the side that lost the Grand Final 30–42 to the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...

. Kata played in the

2014 Auckland Nines The 2014 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the first NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 30 October 2014. ...

with the first grade side, before returning to the under 20s competition.

2014

Kata played for the Warriors in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines At the end of the regular season, Kata played at centre in the 2014 Holden Cup grand final, scoring a hat-trick in the Junior Warriors' 34–32 victory over the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

juniors. Kata won the

Jack Gibson Jack Gibson may refer to: * Jack Gibson (rugby league) (1929–2008), Australian player and coach * Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005), Irish physician * Jack Gibson (ice hockey, born 1880) (1880–1955), ice hockey player and executive * Jack Gibs ...

Medal as the grand final player of the match. On 20 October 2014 Kata made his international debut, playing for

in their end-of-year test-match 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 ...

2015

Kata again played in the Warriors NRL Auckland Nines team in 2015 and was named in the team of the tournament. In Round 1 of the

2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...

, Kata made his first grade NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

on the wing in the Warriors' 14–24 loss at

Hunter Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and Newcast ...

. In Round 2, against the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

, Kata scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors' 18–6 win at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...

. On 2 May 2015, Kata played for Tonga against

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 and Apolima); ...

in the Polynesian Cup, playing at centre and kicking 2 goals in Tonga's 16–18 loss at

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

. Kata finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in all of the Warriors 24 matches and being the top tryscorer with 12 tries in the

, while mid-year his contract was extended until the end of 2018. On 8 September 2015, Kata was named in the New Zealand Kiwis' training squad. After not making the final New Zealand squad for the England tour, Kata played for Tonga in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier match against the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

for the

2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...

. He played at fullback, scored a try and kicked 4 goals in Tonga's 28–8 win at

Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown Stadium, formerly Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, is a multi-use stadium in Leumeah, New South Wales, Australia, owned by Campbelltown City Council. It is the home ground of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Wests Ti ...

2016

In February, Kata played for the Warriors in the

2016 NRL Auckland Nines The 2016 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the third NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 6–7 February 2016 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. As with previous tournaments, it was ...

. On 7 May, he played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, where he played at centre and kicked 1 goal. He made his

debut and played in the Four Nations for his adopted country. On 5 November, in the Kiwis second test against Australia, Kata scored his first try for the Kiwis in the 14–8 win at

Ricoh Arena The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currently home to footb ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

. On 20 November, Kata played in the Kiwis 2016 Four nations Final match against Australia, playing at centre in the 34–8 loss at

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...

. Kata played in all 5 matches and scored 1 try in the tournament.

2017

In June 2017, Kata's older brother Tevita died in Tonga and Kata took a 3-week break from the game to return home to mourn with his family. Kata returned in Round 19 against the Penrith Panthers, scoring 2 tries, dedicated to his brother in the 34–22 loss at Mt Smart Stadium. Kata finished the

2017 NRL season The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...

with him playing in 19 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Warriors. On 4 October 2017, Kata was selected in the 24-man squad for

for the

. Kata only played in 1 match for Tonga which was against

, Kata played at centre but broke his foot during the 32–18 victory over their pacific rivals at

Waikato Stadium FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the ...

2018

Kata made 23 appearances for the Warriors in 2018, as the club returned to the finals for the first time since 2011, scoring 12 tries in total. He scored a try in the historic first-ever Test match between Tonga and the

Australian Kangaroos The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian ...

on 20 October 2018, played in front of a sold-out crowd at

Mount Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a multipurpose stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League, and occasionally hosts rugby union and internatio ...

, Auckland.

2019

Kata was switched by the Warriors from left centre to right centre from the beginning of the season. After playing 6 matches and scoring 2 tries, with his form falling away he was dropped to their reserve team in the New South Wales Canterbury Cup. On 24 June it was announced that he had been granted an immediate release and had signed a contract with the

until the end of the 2020 season.

2020–present

Kata returned to Rugby Union and begun playing for the Brumbies. He made his test debut for Tonga in rugby union on 6 November 2021 in a 69-3 loss to England as part of the Autumn Nations Series On August 2022, Kata signed for

Premiership Rugby 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 ...

side

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played its home m ...

. The following year he announced his signing with the Leicester Tigers in England's

References

External links

Melbourne Storm profileNew Zealand Warriors profileNRL profile2017 RLWC profile
*
Solomone Kata
at Rugby Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Kata, Solomone 1994 births Living people ACT Brumbies players New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand Warriors players People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland Rugby union players from Vavaʻu Rugby league centres Tonga national rugby league team players Tongan emigrants to New Zealand Tongan rugby league players Tongan rugby union players Auckland rugby union players Moana Pasifika players Tonga international rugby union players Exeter Chiefs players