Setareki Tamanivalu (born 23 July 1992) is a Fijian

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 and former

All Black 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, ...

. He currently plays in the

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 eccentri ...

(and occasionally wing) position for

Toshiba Brave Lupus Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup ...

Early life

Tamanivalu was born and raised in Fiji. He attended

Lelean Memorial School Lelean Memorial School is one of the largest co-ed schools in Fiji. It was established in 1943 and is run by the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma. It is co-located at the Davuilevu Methodist Compound with thDavuilevu Theological Collegeand the ...

where he excelled in both

and

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 ...

. He was a member of the Fiji Secondary Schools under-18 rugby league squad that toured Australia in 2010. He later migrated to

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 ...

where he gained a scholarship at

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 ...

to play rugby.

Playing career

Early career

Tamanivalu was one of five newcomers in

Colin Cooper Colin Terence Cooper (born 28 February 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. He played ove ...

's Taranaki squad named for their 2012 campaign. He made his professional debut for

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 D ...

in the

2012 ITM Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

competition, coming on as a replacement against

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

. In 2013, the then 21-year-old was named most promising player of the year after a season that saw him get a regular starting spot, his all-round game had been right up there with the best of the Taranaki backs. He had also been the most threatening attacker which saw him win top try scorer alongside teammate

Andre Taylor Andre Taylor (born 11 January 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing or centre) position and most recently played for Kintetsu Liners of Japan, and previously played for the Wellington-based ...

. In the 2014 ITM Cup season he was in the top five statistics in tries scored, clean breaks, defenders beaten, metres gained and offloads. His impressive form saw him win the

2014 ITM Cup Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrel ...

player of the year, over finalists

Shane Christie Shane Christie (born 23 September 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union player. Early career Born in the city of Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island, Christie was raised in the town of Nelson, on the northern tip of South Island before ...

and

Nehe Milner-Skudder Nehe Rihara Milner-Skudder (born 15 December 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the Rugby New York. He was selected for the All Blacks in 2015, and was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He scored ...

. It also saw several Super Rugby franchises in

and Australia were chasing his signature before he opted to head to the Chiefs in early October.

2015-2016

Tamanivalu poised for what promised to be an exciting 2015, It never eventuated, however, with Tamanivalu struggling for game-time with the Chiefs in the 2015 Super Rugby competition. Itching to get back into the provincial season, things took a backwards step after he strained a knee playing for the

New Zealand Barbarians The New Zealand Barbarians, nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", are an invitational rugby union team. They have been a part of New Zealand rugby since the team was founded in 1937 by two ex-All Blacks, Ronald Bush and Hubert McLean, who captained their fi ...

against the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

. Tamanivalu recorded nine appearances and scored four tries for the

province. Tamanivalu had a breakout Super Rugby season in 2016, becoming a regular starter for the Chiefs. Tamanivalu was the third-to-highest try-scorer of the competition in the 2016 Super Rugby season, tied with four other players. Tamanivalu scored nine tries for the Chiefs in 2016, the team's second-to-highest try-scorer behind fullback and future All Black teammate Damian McKenzie. In June 2016,

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, ...

coach, Steve Hansen included him in his 32-man squad for the 2016 June international test series against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He was named on the bench for their first test against Wales, making his international debut on 11 June 2016 alongside flanker Ardie Savea. Tamanivalu only played for five minutes, but the All Blacks managed to win 39-21. Tamanivalu was retained on the bench for the second test of the series on 18 June 2016, coming on early at half-time for an injured Malakai Fekitoa. Tamanivalu unfortunately had an average performance, being bested by Welsh opposite Jonathan Davies as Tamanivalu conceded a try to Davies. The All Blacks still won 36-22, despite Tamanivalu being bested by his opposition. Tamanivalu was not initially selected for the

2016 Rugby Championship The 2016 Rugby Championship was the fifth edition of the annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four countries' n ...

, being replaced by Blues midfielder George Moala who was called in for the third Welsh test as injury cover. Tamanivalu was called back into the All Blacks camp after a concussion to future Crusaders teammate

Ryan Crotty Ryan Stevenson Crotty (born 23 September 1988) is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer. He currently plays as a midfield back for the Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League. Crotty played 48 tests for New Zealand's international team, t ...

and replaced debutant

Anton Lienert-Brown Anton Russell Lienert-Brown (born 15 April 1995) is a New Zealand Rugby Union, rugby union player who currently plays as a Centre (rugby union), second five-eighth or Centre (rugby union), Centre for the in Super Rugby, and in the Mitre 10 Cu ...

on 27 August 2016 as the All Blacks beat the Wallabies 29-9. On 29 September 2016 it was announced that Tamanivalu had signed a one-year deal with 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 ...

for the

2017 Super Rugby season The 2017 Super Rugby season was the 22nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It was the second season featuring an expa ...

2017-2018

Tamanivalu shifted positions upon moving to the Crusaders, spending most of the

on the wing. Tamanivalu was again one of the competition's highest try-scorers, scoring his tenth of the season to open the 2017 Super Rugby Final against 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 ...

in Johannesburg on 5 August 2017. Tamanivalu's try contributed to the Crusaders beating the Lions 25-17 as they won the competition for the eighth time. Earlier in the year, on 10 June 2017, Tamanivalu started on the right wing for the Crusaders against the touring

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

side, playing the full 80 minutes against the Lions. The fixture was a historic loss for the Crusaders who went down 3-12. After season-ending injuries to All Blacks wingers

and

Israel Dagg Israel Jamahl Akuhata Dagg (born 6 June 1988) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. He has also played for the New Zealand Sevens team, and represents Hawkes Bay in the ITM Cup. Dagg played in ...

, Tamanivalu earned a re-call to international rugby for the 2017 end-of-year tour. Tamanivalu made his first start for the All Blacks on 5 November 2017 as he played the full 80 minutes on the left wing during the All Blacks' 31-22 victory over the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium in London. On 14 November 2017, Tamanivalu made his final appearance in the black jersey as he again went without being subbed off as the All Blacks beat a French XV 28-23. In 2018, Tamanivalu signed a three-year deal with

Union Bordeaux Bègles Union Bordeaux Bègles (; oc, Union Bordèu Begla) is a French rugby union team playing in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their Top 14 place by winning the promotion playoffs that followed ...

, based in Bordeaux, France. After starting his stint there with a niggling back injury , he has primarily made bench appearances during the curtailed 2019-2020

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 ...

season and

European Rugby Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...

References

External links

itsrugby.co.uk profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamanivalu, Seta 1992 births Fijian rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Chiefs (rugby union) players Rugby union centres Rugby union wings Sportspeople from Lautoka Rugby union players from Ba Province Living people Barbarian F.C. players Fijian emigrants to New Zealand Crusaders (rugby union) players New Zealand international rugby union players Union Bordeaux Bègles players Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo players New Zealand rugby union players Fiji international rugby union players