Ukuma Ta'ai
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| Ta'ai playing for the Auckland Vulcans | ||||||
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 17 January 1987 Te'ekiu, Fuekafa, Tonga |
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| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Second-row | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2009– | New Zealand Warriors | 40 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2006–2010 | Tonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Source: RLP | ||||||
Ukuma Ta'ai (born 17 January 1987) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League. His usual position is at Second Row.
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[edit] Early years
Ta'ai was educated at Tonga College and originally played rugby union.
When he moved to Auckland, New Zealand, Ta'ai played for the University club and made the Auckland Rugby Union second XV.[1]
The following year, at the suggestion of a friend, he switched codes and joined the Mt Albert Rugby League Club and played in the Auckland Rugby League competition.[1] In 2008 he played for the Auckland Vulcans in the NSW Cup.
Ta'ai played rugby union on Fridays for Tonga College and played rugby league on Saturdays for his home village club, the Fuekafa of Te'ekiu.
[edit] Warriors
Ta'ai was signed by the New Zealand Warriors in 2009 and made his debut in a trial game against the North Queensland Cowboys.[2] He made his first grade debut in Round Two 2009 against the Manly Sea Eagles.[3] Ta'ai scored the Warriors first try against Penrith on 17 April after pouncing on a loose pass and crossing under the sticks.
He has re-signed with the Warriors for 2012.[4]
[edit] Representative career
In 2006 Ta'ai played for Tonga in the Pacific Cup, picked from Tonga College's Under 19 rugby union team at the age of 19.[5] The Tongan team won the tournament.
He played for Tonga in the 2009 Pacific Cup.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lowe, Robert (20 May 2010). "NRL: Try-scorer Ta'ai on a learning curve". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10646321&ref=rss. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "Debut outings for new Warriors". One Sport. 20 February 2009. http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/debut-outings-two-new-warriors-2496369. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Jones set to take on defending premiers Yahoo!Xtra Sport, March 17, 2009
- ^ an one of eight Warriors to extend contracts rleague.com, 29 May 2011
- ^ TNRL Current Players Tongan National Rugby League
[edit] External links
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This New Zealand rugby league football biography is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1987 births
- Auckland rugby league team players
- Footballers who switched code
- Living people
- Mount Albert Lions players
- Tongan emigrants to New Zealand
- New Zealand Warriors players
- Tonga national rugby league team players
- Tongan rugby league players
- Tongan rugby union players
- Rugby league second-rows
- New Zealand rugby league biography stubs
