Sean Alfred Uilisi "Willis" Halaholo (born 6 July 1990) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for the Cardiff Rugby and the Wales national team. Born 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 ...

, New Zealand, to parents of Tongan descent, he qualified to play for Wales on residency grounds after moving to the country in 2016. Earlier that year, he was part of 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 ...

team that won its first ever Super Rugby title.

Career

After winning the Auckland Secondary Schools title with Mount Albert Grammar School, Halaholo was named in the 2007 New Zealand Secondary Schools team alongside All Blacks Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Elliot Dixon and Charlie Ngatai for their tour of Australia. Halaholo also played for Tonga U20 at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan. Halaholo began his senior club rugby career with Grammar Carlton before moving to Silverdale to reunite with MAGS coach Charlie McAlister. After a move back to his junior club, Suburbs, in

, Halaholo caught the attention of Southland selectors and headed to New Zealand's far south to gain his

ITM Cup ITM may stand for: Education * ITM Global School, an English medium co-educational day school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India * ITM Law School, one of the professional graduate schools of ITM University * ITM-IFM, Mumbai, India * Institut Tekn ...

break with the Stags in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. He made a big impact in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

and after two seasons with the Stags, he was named in the Hurricanes squad for the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

. Behind the All Blacks midfield combination of

Ma'a Nonu Ma'a Allan Nonu (; born 21 May 1982) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand who currently plays for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays in the inside centre, but can also cover outside centre and wing. H ...

and

Conrad Smith Conrad Gerard Smith (born 12 October 1981) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who played predominantly at centre. He captained the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and played for New Zealand from 2004 until 2015. He was a key me ...

, Halaholo managed only a handful of appearances off the bench. In 2016 Halaholo was offered a downgraded wider training squad contract and, after starting the season on the bench, earned a place in the starting team which won the Hurricanes' first Super Rugby title, defeating the Lions 20-3 in the final at Westpac Stadium. At the conclusion of the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup he joined Cardiff on a three-year contract.

International

Halaholo was named in the

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

squad for the first time for the uncapped international against the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

on 30 November 2019 after qualifying for Wales through the residency rule. Following injuries to fellow centres Johnny Williams, Jonathan Davies and

George North George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship and the Wales national team. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions and currently has th ...

, Halaholo was recalled to the Wales squad for their

2021 Six Nations Championship The 2021 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

match against Scotland on 13 February 2021. With

Nick Tompkins Nick Tompkins (born 16 February 1995) is a rugby union player who plays at centre for English Premiership club Saracens and the Wales national team. Tompkins came through the academy at Saracens. Born in Sidcup, England, Tompkins qualifies fo ...

and Owen Watkin picked to start, Halaholo was named on the bench for the game. He made his international debut in the 32nd minute, when fullback Leigh Halfpenny went off for a head injury assessment. Halaholo earned his second cap for Wales as a replacement in their match against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 27 February, 2021. This match was the first in history in which Wales had scored 40 points against England.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halaholo, Willis 1990 births Living people New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union centres Southland rugby union players Hurricanes (rugby union) players New Zealand sportspeople of Tongan descent Rugby union players from Auckland Waikato rugby union players Cardiff Rugby players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Wales Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in Wales