Atieli Pakalani (born 2 August 1989)[1] is a Tongan rugby union player.[2] He is nicknamed the 'Tongan Hitman',[3] and his usual position is on the wing. Pakalani played Super Rugby for the NSW Waratahs in 2011.[2] In 2017 Pakalani joined Leicester Tigers.[4]

Biography

Pakalani attended secondary school at Tamaki College in New Zealand.[5] He joined ITM Cup team Auckland in 2009 on a two-year deal. He also captained the Tongan Under 20 team at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship.[6]

In 2014 Pakalani represented Australia 7s at the time committing him to represent Australia only. In 2016 he was successful in an application to use a loophole in World Rugby's eligibility laws to allow him to represent Tonga[7] and on 1 July 2017 he made his international debut for Tonga in a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier against Samoa.[8]

Pakalani competed for Tonga at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[9]

Reference list

  1. ^ "Afa Pakalani". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Atieli Pakalani Player Profile". New South Wales Waratahs. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Atieli Pakalani". Green and Fold Rugby. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Leicester Tigers sign Tonga full-back Atieli Pakalani". Leicester Mercury. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Pakalani turns Super rugby dream into reality". Otago Daily Times. Fairfax. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Atieli Pakalani". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Pacific nations hopeful of changes to rugby's eligibility laws". radioNZ. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Tonga (20) 30 - 26 (16) Samoa (FT)". 1 July 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Country Summary: Tonga - Rugby World Cup Sevens South Africa 2022". www.rwcsevens.com. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atieli_Pakalani
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