Tevita Vaikona (born 18 August 1974) is a Tongan 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

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, a winger who played rugby league and picked up many honours before switching codes to

. In 2002, Vaikona was voted best rugby league winger in the world.

Early years

Vaikona started playing rugby league when he was studying in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand at Lincoln University.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'' He made the

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super ...

in 1994 and in 1994 Vaikona played for the

Canterbury Country Cardinals The Canterbury Country Cardinals were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. They were administered by the Canterbury Rugby League. The Country Cardinals drew f ...

in the

Lion Red Cup The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994 to 1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being a ...

and represented both

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. ...

, New Zealand Universities and the

New Zealand Residents The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected f ...

.''Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1994'',

New Zealand Rugby Football League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...

, 1994. p.13

Professional playing career

Rugby league

Vaikona moved to

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

in 1994 and played alongside fellow Cantabrian

Shane Endacott Shane Endacott (born ) is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player. His position of preference was Five Eighth; however, he was also often used at lock, hooker or in the centres. He is the son of New Zealand national rugby league team ...

. Vaikona was selected 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 ...

in the 1995 World Cup. In the Rugby League First Division he played for

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and wer ...

, and in the

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 ...

he played for the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

where his tries and powerful play saw him voted the best rugby league in the World. Vaikona played for the

on the in the

1999 Super League Grand Final The 1999 Super League Grand Final was the Second official Grand Final conclusive and championship-deciding game of the Super League IV season. The match was played between St. Helens and Bradford Bulls on Saturday 9 October 1999, at Old Traffo ...

which was lost to St Helens R.F.C. Vaikona also played for Tonga in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup and was his country's top try-scorer for the tournament. Vaikona played for the

on the in their 2001 Super League Grand Final victory over the

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

. As Super League VI champions, the Bradford Bulls played against 2001 NRL Premiers, 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 ...

in the 2002 World Club Challenge. Vaikona played on the in Bradford Bulls' victory. He was a

Junior Kiwi The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Supe ...

and was called up for

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 ...

in 2002 but did not play a match. Vaikona played for the

on the in their 2002 Super League Grand Final loss against St. Helens. Vaikona played for the

on the in their 2003 Super League Grand Final victory over the

. Having won

Super League VIII Tetley's Super League VIII was the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 109th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League. The season culminat ...

, Bradford played against 2003 NRL Premiers, 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. Penrith ...

in the

2004 World Club Challenge The 2004 World Club Challenge was held on Friday, 13 February 2004, at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield, England. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and the Penrith Panthers. Background Bradford Bulls Penrith Panthers Match ...

. Vaikona played on the in the Bradford Bulls' 22–4 victory.

Rugby union

While still playing rugby league, Vaikona played Rugby sevens for

at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

. Vaikona joined North London-based Saracens F.C. from

in 2004 and went on to score a try on his début a few months later. In his first season in rugby union, he was the top off-loader in the premiership during the 2004/05 season. He has also represented

on numerous occasions. He was not selected for the squad for the 2007 World Cup. He is a rugby sevens athlete, having represented Tonga in the Commonwealth games and both the Bradford Bulls and the Saracens in the Twickenham sevens. He was also named Player of the Season during his first year at the Saracens. Injury stalled his 2005/06 campaign, but he soon came back to where he left off although 2006–07 was a less successful season in terms of points scored. He is known for his offloading ability, which has led to numerous tries for his club. In April 2007, Saracens announced that Tevita was leaving the club for pastures new and he signed a two-year contract with a French outfit, Racing Metro, Paris where he played during the 2007/08 season. In February 2008 Tevita signed for Hull Rugby Union Football Club on a two-year contract and made a try scoring début against Birkenhead Park on 1 March 2008.

Administration career

Tevita worked as the Director of Rugby at Hull Rugby Union Football Club and later as the Director of Sport at Bishop Burton College in the East Riding.

References

External links

Hull RUFC Official WebsiteTevita Vaikona
on saracens.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaikona, Tevita 1974 births Living people Bradford Bulls players Canterbury rugby league team players Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of Tonga Dual-code rugby internationals Expatriate rugby union players in England Expatriate rugby union players in New Zealand Hull F.C. players Junior Kiwis players Male rugby sevens players Racing 92 players Rugby league wingers Rugby sevens players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Rugby union wings Saracens F.C. players Tonga international rugby union players Tonga national rugby league team players Tongan expatriate rugby union players Tongan expatriate sportspeople in England Tongan expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Tonga international rugby sevens players Tongan rugby league players Tongan rugby union players