Tasesa James Lavea (born 10 January 1980) is a New Zealand

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 ...

coach and former professional

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 ...

and

footballer. He is of Samoan and Māori descent and heritage, and he coaches the 1st XV for

Saint Kentigern College Saint Kentigern College is a private co-educational Presbyterian secondary school in the suburb of Pakuranga on the eastern side of Auckland, New Zealand, beside the Tamaki Estuary. It is operated by the Saint Kentigern Trust Board which also o ...

Early life

Although born in

Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town. History and culture Early ...

, Lavea grew up in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and was educated at

Papatoetoe High School Papatoetoe High School (PHS) is a secondary school (years 9–13) in Papatoetoe suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. History Papatoetoe High School was established in 1956. February 2021 COVID-19 outbreak On 14 February, a Year 9 student at Papat ...

, then St Kentigern College where he played for three seasons in the 1st XV. He was an age-group representative between the ages of 14 and 16, and played for both the Auckland and New Zealand Secondary Schools teams in 1998. He also excelled in cricket.

Career

Lavea played

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

for the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

from 2004 to 2006. He also played at

inside centre In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

for the Chiefs in the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

seasons. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

he rejoined the Blues. At provincial level, Lavea played for

in the National Provincial Championship from 2003 through to 2007. He joined Counties Manukau in 2008. He played for French Top 14 team

ASM Clermont Auvergne Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne () is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. Clermont are two times French ...

between 2009 and 2011.

Switch to Rugby League

Following secondary school, Lavea played for the

Junior All Blacks The All Blacks XV is the second national rugby union team of New Zealand, after the All Blacks. New Zealand's second national team has had numerous names in its history: Junior All Blacks, New Zealand XV, New Zealand A, New Zealand B, All Blacks ...

and was then scouted by

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. ...

(despite never having played rugby league until signing), switching codes to play in Australia. Having won the 1999 Premiership, the

travelled to England to contest the

2000 World Club Challenge The 2000 World Club Challenge was contested by 1999 NRL season premiers, the Melbourne Storm and 1999's Super League IV champions, St. Helens. The match was played on 22 January at JJB Stadium, Wigan before a crowd of 13,394. The Melbourne Storm ...

against

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

Champions

St Helens R.F.C. St Helens R.F.C. is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside who compete in the Super League, the top tier for rugby league in Great Britain. They are the current Champions, having won the last 4 consecutive titles, and becom ...

, with Lavea playing from the interchange bench in the victory. Thanks to his prodigious goal-kicking skills, in 2000 he was the Melbourne Storm's leading points scorer (190 points) and was named the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

Rookie of the Year. After a quieter second season, in 2002 Lavea left Melbourne for the

Northern Eagles The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Nort ...

but was hampered by injury and hardly featured in the team.

Test Matches and Rugby League World Cup

Lavea was a member of New Zealand's 2000 World Cup squad. Between 2000 and 2001, he played 4 test matches for the Kiwis in his usual rugby league position of stand-off. In the match against

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

on 2 November 2000, Lavea's haul of 32 points (2 tries and 12 goals) broke the previous Kiwi record of 26 points (set by

Henry Paul Henry Paul (born 10 February 1974), also known by the nickname of "HP", is a former dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. Paul represented New Zealand in rugby league and England in rugby union and rugby sevens. He ...

Return to Rugby Union

Lavea returned to New Zealand in 2003 and switched codes once again to play rugby union, signing with

. His NPC debut was in that year, against

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

. He then made his

debut in 2004 against the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

and was part of the Blues for three seasons. In 2007 Lavea joined the Chiefs through the player draft, with whom he played two seasons, and in 2008 moved provinces from Auckland to

Counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. In 2009 he returned to the Blues, however he made only four more appearances for the side in his final season of

. He played a final season for Counties in the

Air New Zealand Cup The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

before moving to France.

2006 Rugby season

Following a mixed Super 14 season in 2006, Lavea was named in the

New Zealand Māori rugby union team New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Due to an injury sustained in club rugby, he had to withdraw from the team before the

Churchill Cup The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's (and formerly women's) teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams (originally one and later three) from a wide arr ...

tournament even began. The New Zealand Māori went on to take the title.

Air New Zealand Cup

Lavea was again selected as

's principal

as the province prepared to defend its title. Round One
During Auckland's opening

match against Manawatu (Saturday 29 July 2006), nearly all players suffered sand burns from the appalling ground conditions at FMG Stadium,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. It played a part in Lavea's first-half

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury, thereby ruling him out of the playing 22 for Auckland's games against Tasman (Sunday 6 August 2006),

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

(Saturday 12 August 2006), and

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

(Sunday 20 August 2006). Lavea recovered to play the full 80 minutes for both the games against

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

(Saturday 26 August 2006) and North Harbour (Friday 1 September 2006). In the "Battle of the Bridge" (Auckland vs North Harbour) Lavea performed admirably, kicking well to gain territory and making several significant runs. Round Two
Lavea missed Auckland's first match in Round Two against

(Saturday 16 September 2006) due to a calf injury. Recovering from the minor injury in time to be named in the starting 15 for the match against

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

(Saturday 23 September 2006), Lavea controlled the game expertly. He found space with his kicking game, set up an impressive manoeuvre for

Isaia Toeava Isaia "Ice" Toeava (born 15 January 1986) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand. Early career Toeava was born in Samoa but moved to New Zealand in 1994 to live with his grandmother. He attended De La Salle College, Mangere Eas ...

, and ran in a great solo try off a deft intercept. The Auckland

also played solidly in the team's last Round Two match, against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

(Saturday 30 September 2006). Auckland was denied a try in the very last play of the match which saw Lavea crash through the posts after a

Doug Howlett Douglas Charles Howlett (born 21 September 1978) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He was primarily a wing, but he also sometimes played as a fullback. He played for Auckland, and the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues ...

offload. Controversially, referee Steve Walsh ruled that the pass was forward. Had Auckland been awarded that try, the result would have been a 27–27 draw, or a 29–27 win to Auckland if the conversion was successful. Both situations would have given Auckland the position of top seed going into the playoffs. Quarter-finals
Auckland defeated

for the second time this season in their quarter-final match-up on Saturday 7 October 2006. Lavea received a

yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...

for a

spear tackle A spear tackle is an illegal tackle in rugby union, rugby league and Australian rules football in which a player lifts another player into the air and drops them so that they land on their back, head or neck. Spear tackles have caused serious inju ...

at the start of the final quarter, but played the remainder of the match. Semi-finals

defeated Auckland in the first

2006 Air New Zealand Cup The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup was the inaugural season of the Air New Zealand Cup, contested by teams from New Zealand. The season ran from July to October 2006. At the end of the regular season, the top team from ''Repechage A'' and ''B'' joine ...

semi-final on Friday 13 October 2006. Auckland's set-piece and handling errors meant Lavea could not get enough quality ball to capitalise on his team's expansive style of attack.

The Pacific Islanders squad

In September 2006, Lavea was named in the

Pacific Islanders Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

team (representing

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 Island, Manono an ...

) to tour the United Kingdom and Ireland in November 2006. Although being named in the Pacific Islanders squad did not disqualify Lavea from playing for the

All Blacks 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 ...

, the appearance of his name in the squad signified his possible allegiance to

Manu Samoa The Samoa national rugby union team (also known as Manu Samoa) represents Samoa in men's international rugby union and it is governed by the Samoa Rugby Union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samo ...

in the future. At the time, Lavea stated that he felt it was time for him to take control of the future of his rugby career, and that opportunities lay with playing for the Pacific Islanders. If Lavea plays a test match for Manu Samoa, by IRB regulations he will become ineligible to play for the All Blacks. In a further development, it is understood that Lavea's contract with the NZRU stipulates his availability for All Blacks selection. Even though recent All Blacks

Sitiveni Sivivatu Sitiveni Waica Sivivatu (born 19 April 1982 in Suva, Fiji) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer, playing on the position of a wing. He was largely successful in the 2005 Super 12 season playing for the Chiefs. He acquired a starting ...

and

Sione Lauaki Sione Tuitupu Lauaki (22 June 1981 – 12 February 2017) was a Tongan-born New Zealand rugby union footballer who played for Bayonne. He previously played for the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. His brother, Epalahame Lauaki, is a 2nd ...

both played for the Pacific Islanders and went on to get the black jersey, new

PIRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

rules seem to suggest that players can only be included in the Pacific Islanders squad if they declare allegiance to their respective Pacific Island national team (Fiji, Samoa or Tonga). While the possibility of playing for Samoa in the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 2 ...

would be of great appeal to Lavea, declaring himself unavailable for All Blacks selection could be detrimental to his rugby career in New Zealand (because a player that is not NZ-eligible is of less value to the NZRU). At the time Lavea did not comment on whether this would affect his decision to tour. When the Pacific Islanders squad left for the UK on 2 November 2006, Lavea was not part of the squad. He withdrew from the team because Ian Foster, head coach of the Chiefs, requested for him to stay in New Zealand for pre-season training.

Harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

Tusi Pisi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...

was called in as Lavea's replacement in the touring squad, but Pisi's inclusion is understood not to have disqualified him for future All Blacks selection.

2007 Rugby season

Air New Zealand Cup

Lavea's present contract with Auckland will end on 31 October 2007. He is currently playing for Auckland in the 2007 Air NZ Cup, at the conclusion of which he will begin a new 2-year contract with Counties Manukau. Since that places him in the Chiefs catchment area, he is directly eligible to play for them in the 2008 Super 14. In early July 2007, Lavea travelled to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

for Auckland's pre-season training camp. However, due to an untimely

hip flexor A flexor is a muscle that flexes a joint. In anatomy, flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend) is a joint movement that decreases the angle between the bones that converge at the joint. For example, one’s elbow joint flexes when one ...

injury, he did not play until Week 9 of the 2007 Air NZ Cup season. Week 9
Lavea played first five in Auckland's match against

on Friday 21 September 2007.

Super 14

During the selection process for New Zealand's

2007 Super 14 The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The ...

teams, the

made Lavea available in the player draft, along with

fullback Brent Ward and

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 expres ...

Viliame Waqaseduadua Viliame Waqaseduadua (born 23 April 1983 in Suva, Fiji) is a New Zealand rugby union player, usually as a wing. He plays for the Grenoble. He is simply known as Vili or Waga. Started playing his schoolboy rugby for Ratu Sukuna Memorial School in ...

. The neighbouring Chiefs were glad to pick up Lavea for the coming season. Chiefs head coach Ian Foster indicated the possibility of developing Lavea and

Stephen Donald Stephen Rex Donald (born 3 December 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japanese Top League. A first five-eighth or centre, he has won 24 international caps for New Zealand. Nicknamed 'B ...

's roles in the team to create a 10/12 combination. Lavea was also enthusiastic about playing for a new team. Pre-season
The Chiefs won 31–17 against the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

on Thursday 18 January 2007. Lavea was not initially named for this match because of a minor calf strain, but made a quick recovery and saw some game time in the second half. Week 1
The first match of the Chiefs' 2007 Super 14 campaign was a home game against the

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

(Saturday 3 February 2007). Starting on the bench at No.21, Lavea substituted on at second five-eighths for Tane Tu'ipulotu in the final quarter. Unfortunately, Lavea also injured his left knee in his Chiefs debut.

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

revealed a strained

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist out ...

that was thought would keep him sidelined for at least six weeks. Week 7
Lavea recovered from the knee injury after five weeks and resumed full contact training with the team during the build-up to the Chiefs' week 7 clash with the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

(Friday 16 March 2007). He started the match at second five-eighths and shifted to first five-eighths for the final quarter. The Donald-Lavea five-eighth combination proved to be effective, with the former scoring a brace of tries in the Chiefs' 34 – 7 victory. Stephen Donald stated that having Lavea at second five-eighths allowed him to "have a crack", knowing that the next phase would be covered. Lavea made good use of tactical kicking throughout the match. This was Lavea's first starting position with the Chiefs.Lavea Gets First Chiefs Starting Spot
Week 8
Lavea remained at second five-eighths for the entire match against the

(Saturday 24 March 2007), which the Chiefs narrowly won 21 – 19. This victory has kept the Chiefs' semifinal hopes alive. Week 9
The Chiefs played against the

on Saturday 31 March 2007. Lavea played at second five-eighths opposite old teammates

Luke McAlister Charles Luke McAlister (born 28 August 1983 in Waitara) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays at fly-half and at centre. He is the brother of New Zealand women's sevens player Kayla McAlister and son of rugby league footballer Char ...

and

Sam Tuitupou Sam Tuitupou (born 1 February 1982) is a New Zealand international rugby union player who plays in England. His position is Inside Centre. Tuitupou won world titles as captain for New Zealand at under-19 and under-21 level, during his junior ca ...

. Halfway through the first quarter, Lavea appeared to have aggravated his knee injury from Week 1. Ten minutes later he bounced back to score the Chiefs' only try of the match – his first try for the new team. However, the strain on his knee ruled out his selection for the Highlanders match in Queenstown on Saturday 7 April 2007. Week 11
In the Chiefs' 64 – 36 victory over the

Force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...

(Saturday 14 April 2007), Lavea scored a try ten minutes into the second half from a

offload. This bonus point win puts the Chiefs ahead of the Force in the race for a semifinal spot. Week 12
The Chiefs defeated the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

35 – 27 in their final round robin home game of the 2007 Super 14 (Saturday 21 April 2007). Lavea played both inside center and fly-half, scoring two tries in the first half of the match. Week 13
Lavea was substituted after the first quarter of the away match against the Waratahs (Friday 27 April 2007) due to a foot injury. He suffered Achilles tendinopathy and a hematoma on his chest, missing the match against 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 ...

in the final week of round robin matchplay.

From 2009 with Clermont Auvergne

Lavea signed for

Clermont Auvergne Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne () is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. Clermont are two times French ...

in 2009. He mostly plays as a second choice at fly-half behind

Brock James Brock James (born 22 October 1981 in Victoria, Australia) is a former Australian rugby union player who is currently an attack coach for Ospreys. James learnt to play rugby at Old Collegians in South Australia under the guidance of backs coach, ...

. He was called by Samoa national team for the first time in November 2010.

Statistics

Super Rugby Caps: 26 (

19, Chiefs 7)
Super Rugby Points: 50 (7 tries, 3 conversions, 3 penalties)

: 30 (3 tries, 3 conversions, 3 penalties)
Chiefs: 20 (4 tries)

Debut: 2004 vs

Chiefs Debut: 2007 vs

Provincial Caps: 35
Provincial Points: 35 (7 tries)

Debut: 2003 vs

Rugby League Test Caps: 4
Rugby League Test Points: 48 (3 tries, 18 goals)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavea, Tasesa 1980 births Living people ASM Clermont Auvergne players Auckland rugby union players Blues (Super Rugby) players Chiefs (rugby union) players Counties Manukau rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in England Expatriate rugby union players in France Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players Māori All Blacks players Melbourne Storm players New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Australia New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England Northern Eagles players New Zealand national rugby league team players Pacific Islanders rugby union players People from Taihape People educated at Saint Kentigern College People educated at Papatoetoe High School Rugby league players from Manawatū-Whanganui Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Manawatū-Whanganui Sale Sharks players Samoa international rugby union players Samoan expatriate sportspeople in France

Early life

Career

Switch to Rugby League

Test Matches and Rugby League World Cup

Return to Rugby Union

2006 Rugby season

Air New Zealand Cup

The Pacific Islanders squad

2007 Rugby season

Air New Zealand Cup

Super 14

From 2009 with Clermont Auvergne

Statistics

See also

References