Date of birth | 17 April 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Tofoa, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 114 kg (251 lb; 17 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Rotorua Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Semisi Paea (born 17 April 1999) is a Tongan professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Major League Rugby club New England Free Jacks and the Tonga national team.[1]
Early life
[edit]Paea was born in Tonga[2] but grew up and lives in Rotorua in New Zealand, where he represents Ngongotaha Rugby Club.[3]
Club career
[edit]Paea was named in the Bay of Plenty squad for the 2021 Bunnings NPC.[4] At the end of the 2021 season, he was selected for the New Zealand Barbarians.[5] In 2023, he joined the New England Free Jacks for the 2023 Major League Rugby season.[6]
Paea made his debut for Tonga in 2021 against the Cook Islands.[7] He made further appearances for Tonga in the 2022 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Semisi Paea". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "New England Free Jacks Signs Semisi Paea". DJ Coil Rugby. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Teammates turned rivals in Tonga vs Cook Islands clash". RNZ. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "New Bay Signings Face Former Team in Round 2 Bunnings Warehouse NPC Match-up". Bay of Plenty Rugby. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Players rewarded with New Zealand Barbarians squad selection". NZ Rugby. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Free Jacks sign Tongan international Semisi Paea". Americas Rugby News. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Tonga name six debutants to face Cook Islands". RNZ. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Rugby-Tonga without big guns for World Cup playoff amid injuries". Reuters. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
External links
[edit]- Semisi Paea at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Semisi Paea at ESPNscrum