Timothy Lafaele is an American Samoan-born, Japanese international rugby union player who plays as a fly-half or centre. He currently plays for the in

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 ...

and the Kobelco Steelers in Japan's domestic Top League. He received Japanese citizenship in 2017.

Club career

Lafaele has played all of his senior rugby in Japan with the Coca-Cola Red Sparks, who he joined in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

International

Lafaele received his first call-up for his adopted country Japan's senior squad ahead of the

2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the ''2016 Autumn Internationals'' in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between the visiting Southern Hemisphere countries: ...

. He debuted as a second-half replacement in new head coach,

Jamie Joseph James Whitinui Joseph (born 21 November 1969) is a New Zealand-born Japanese former rugby union player and current rugby union coach. A flanker, Joseph represented Otago at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, ...

's first game, a 54-20 loss at home to .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafaele, Timothy 1991 births Living people American Samoan rugby union players Japanese rugby union players Japan international rugby union players American Samoan expatriate sportspeople in Japan Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union centres Coca-Cola Red Sparks players Sunwolves players Kobelco Kobe Steelers players People from Pago Pago American Samoan expatriates in New Zealand Naturalized citizens of Japan American Samoan expatriate rugby union players Yamanashi Gakuin University alumni Expatriate rugby union players in Japan