Sitaleki Timani
| File:Sitaleki Timani.jpg | |||
| Sitaleki Timani playing for the Brumbies | |||
| Full name | Sitaleki Timani | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 September 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Kolonga, Tonga[1] | ||
| Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Weight | 126 kg (277 lb, 19 st 11 lb)[3] | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Lock, Blindside Flanker | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| Southern Districts | |||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2007 2013– |
Perth Spirit Montpellier |
8 12 |
(5) (0) |
| correct as of 17 May2014. | |||
| Super Rugby | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2008 2009–10 2011–13 |
Western Force Brumbies Waratahs |
3 8 42 |
(0) (5) (20) |
| correct as of 15 July 2013. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2011–13 | Australia | 18 | (0) |
| correct as of 24 November 2013. | |||
Sitaleki Timani (born 19 September 1986), is a Tongan-born, Australian professional rugby union footballer. He made his test debut for the Wallabies in 2011. His usual position is lock.
Family and early life
Sitaleki Timani was born in the Tongan village of Kolonga. He is the older brother of Lopeti Timani.
Timani played soccer until he attended Liahona High School and was introduced to rugby union. He was selected for the Tongan Schoolboys rugby team in 2003, and won a scholarship to attend Auckland Grammar School in New Zealand.[1]
He moved to Australia at the age of 19 and switched codes, playing rugby league for Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL's Jersey Flegg competition in 2006, and in Premier League in 2007.[1]
Rugby union career
In August 2007, Timani returned to rugby union, playing for Perth Spirit in the Australian Rugby Championship.[4] He was selected for all Perth Spirit matches for the season, and played 8 times as starting lock. The team finished third on the ARC ladder, but lost their semi-final to the eventual champion team, the Central Coast Rays.[5] The following year, Timani made his Super Rugby debut for the Western Force against the Sharks on 15 February 2008 in Durban, although he only made 3 appearances for the franchise during the season. He moved to the Brumbies in 2009 and played most of the Super Rugby season, but then fell from favour and did not get any game time in 2010.[2]
Timani then took up a development contract with the NSW Waratahs, and won a regular starting position in the 2011 season. At that time, he was eligible to play for both Tonga (by birth) and Australia (by residency). He chose Australia and was selected by the Wallabies, playing against Samoa at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 17 July 2011.[1]
His decision to play for Australia meant he became ineligible to play for Tonga[6] and it probably cost him an appearance at the Rugby World Cup later that year. He was not selected for the Australian 2011 world cup squad but probably would have been selected for Tonga, if eligible.[2]
In 2013, he signed a three-year deal with French side, Montpellier.[7] He joined the club after travelling with the Wallabies on their 2013 end-of-year tour.
Personal life
On 15 December 2012 Sitaleki married his girlfriend of three years.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/TheTeam/WallabiesProfiles/ProfilePage/tabid/1513/playerid/127/Default.aspx
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Under IRB regulations, a player becomes permanently committed to a nation upon his first presence in a matchday squad with the country's full national team, "A" national team, or sevens national team. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. See especially Regulations 8.1 through 8.4.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Club stats on It's Rugby
- ARU Player Profile
- Waratahs Profile
- EngvarB from August 2013
- Use dmy dates from August 2013
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Tongan emigrants to Australia
- Australian rugby union players
- Rugby union locks
- New South Wales Waratahs players
- Western Force players
- Brumbies players
- Australia international rugby union players
- People educated at Auckland Grammar School
