Charles Faumuina (born 24 December 1986) is 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 ...

player who plays

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

, for in

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

in France and formerly for internationally. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He currently plays international rugby union for

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 ...

. His main position is tighthead prop but has also covered loosehead prop for the Blues.

Early career

Faumuina was a late recruit to rugby union, and played only

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 ...

until selected for the Papatoetoe High School 1st XV rugby team. His progress in rugby union was rapid and in 2007 he was selected to make his first-class rugby debut for the New Zealand Colts against Canada. The same year he made his debut for

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

as a substitute against the Counties Manukau Steelers 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 ...

. On 7 March 2009, Faumuina made his Super Rugby debut against 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 ...

when international prop

John Afoa Ioane Fitu "John" Afoa (born 16 September 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player. His position of choice is at prop. Afoa currently plays for Crusaders in Super Rugby. Personal life Afoa was a student at Auckland's Papakura Hig ...

was ruled out through injury. In 2011, due to extended injury layoff to Tony Woodcock, Faumuina started the majority of games for the Blues in a successful season. In 2012, Faumuina played 10 of the Blues first 11 games in the Super Rugby season and missed only the game against the due to injury. Blues head coach at the time

Pat Lam Patrick Richard Lam (born 29 September 1968) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is currently Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby. Born in New Zealand, he represented New Zealand in schools and under-21 ...

believed Faumuina, despite his size, has a dancer's agility. "He's a big man but his footwork is unbelievable, he's got footwork like a ballerina and I think it's a massive asset," said Lam.

All Blacks

On 8 September 2012, he made his debut for the All Blacks as a substitute in the 73rd minute in a test against Argentina. On 15 September 2014, he scored his first international try for the All Blacks in a 24–21 victory against England. Faumuina was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup's 31-man All Black squad and played in many games including the knockout stages, where the squad made history as the first to retain their World Cup title, and the first to win three tournaments.

Manu Samoa

Having not played international rugby for 3 years he became eligable to play for Manu Samoa. It was announced Faumuina had been selected as a substitute for the game against Japan being played at the Sapporo Stadium on 22 July 2023. He came on as a substitute in the 52nd minute of the game winning his first cap for Manu Samoa. He then made the cut and was selected for the Manu Samoa Rugby World Cup 2023 squad to be played in France.

Toulouse

On 28 October 2016, it was announced Faumuina would join top French club

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

in the

for the 2017-18 season.

References

External links

*
Auckland player profile

Blues player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faumuina, Charlie 1986 births New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand international rugby union players Auckland rugby union players Blues (Super Rugby) players Rugby union props Rugby union players from Auckland Living people Barbarian F.C. players People educated at Papatoetoe High School New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France New Zealand expatriate rugby union players Stade Toulousain players