Leva Fifita
Salesi Halaleva Lapota Fifita (born 29 July 1989) is a Tongan rugby union player who generally plays as a lock. He represents Tonga internationally and currently plays for Irish club Connacht. He is the brother of Vaea Fifita.[2]
Birth name | Salesi Halaleva Lapota Fifita | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | [1] | 29 July 1989||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Neiafu, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Vaea Fifita (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Club
Fifita started his professional career in 2016 playing for Waikato, having previously played for Hamilton Old Boys.[3] In February 2017 he trained with the Chiefs development squad,[4] but not play any of the three friendly matches scheduled for the team.
In December 2017 he joined Rugby Pro D2 team FC Grenoble as a replacement for Mickaël Capelli.[5] In March 2018 he extended his contract until June 2019.[6] He later extended his contract for three more seasons.[7] In June 2021 he activated his departure clause early, leaving Grenoble and signing with Irish team Connacht.[8][9][10] He made his debut for the club in September 2021.[11]
International
He made his international debut for Tonga against Wales on 16 June 2017.[12][13] He was also part of the Tongan team which emerged as runners-up to Fiji at the 2017 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. He was included in the Tongan squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.[14][15] He played four games in this competition, against England, Argentina, France and the United States.[16] He was selected again to play against Scotland in Tonga's 2021 tour of the northern hemisphere.[17]
References
- "Leva Fifita". Connacht Rugby. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- Liam Napier (25 November 2017). "Rugby: How Fifita fits Rookie of Year criteria". ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Waikato name national provincial championship squad with classy backline". Stuff. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Bay players make Chiefs development squad". New Zealand Herald. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "FCG : Talakai et Fifita se sont engagés" (in French). Le Dauphine. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Grenoble : le Tongien Fifita prolonge" (in French). Rugbyrama. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Grenoble : Leva Fifita a prolongé jusqu'en 2022" (in French). L'Equipe. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Pro D2 : Leva Fifita quitte le FCG !" (in French). Le Dauphine. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- Adam Kyriacou (31 May 2021). "Connacht sign Tongan powerhouse Leva Fifita". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Connacht sign Tonga international Leva Fifita from Grenoble". Irish Examiner. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Leva Fifita in line for debut as Connacht welcome Vodacom Bulls to Sportsground". Huge Rugby. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Tonga v Wales". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- "Sport: Tonga picks new look front-row for Wales rugby test". RNZ. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Kefu names squad tasked with making history". rugbyworldcup.com. Rugby World Cup. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- Aaron Goile (2 September 2019). "Rugby World Cup 2019: Tonga 'fixated' on playoffs dream, says coach Toutai Kefu". Stuff. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Leva Fifita Tonga". ESPN. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Tonga select eight new caps to face Scotland". RNZ. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.