Solomone Kata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Kata in 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 3 December 1994 Neiafu, Tonga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 104 kg (16 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: [1] As of 29 December 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a professional dual-code rugby footballer who plays as a centre for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team.[2]
Prior to rugby union, Kata played rugby league for the New Zealand Warriors and was contracted to the Melbourne Storm in the NRL,[3] and also played for Tonga and New Zealand at the international level.
Kata was born in Neiafu, Tonga, and moved to New Zealand in 2011 on a rugby union scholarship at Sacred Heart College, Auckland.[citation needed]
Kata represented the Tongan under-21 side.[4]
Club career
Kata switched to rugby league in 2013, signing with the New Zealand Warriors. Kata played for the Warriors Holden Cup team and was part of the side that lost the Grand Final 30–42 to the Penrith Panthers. Kata played in the 2014 Auckland Nines with the first grade side, before returning to the under 20s competition.[5]
Kata played for the Warriors in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines[6] At the end of the regular season, Kata played at centre in the 2014 Holden Cup grand final, scoring a hat-trick in the Junior Warriors' 34–32 victory over the Brisbane Broncos juniors. Kata won the Jack Gibson Medal as the grand final player of the match.[7]
Kata again played in the Warriors NRL Auckland Nines team in 2015 and was named in the team of the tournament.[8][9] In Round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, Kata made his first grade NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the Newcastle Knights on the wing in the Warriors' 14–24 loss at Hunter Stadium.[10][11][12] In Round 2, against the Canberra Raiders, Kata scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors' 18–6 win at Canberra Stadium.[13] Kata finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in all of the Warriors 24 matches and being the top tryscorer with 12 tries in the 2015 NRL season, while mid-year his contract was extended until the end of 2018.[14]
In February, Kata played for the Warriors in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines.[15] On 7 May, he played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, where he played at centre and kicked 1 goal.[16]
In June 2017, Kata's older brother Tevita died in Tonga and Kata took a 3-week break from the game to return home to mourn with his family.[17] Kata returned in Round 19 against the Penrith Panthers, scoring 2 tries, dedicated to his brother in the 34–22 loss at Mt Smart Stadium.[18] Kata finished the 2017 NRL season with him playing in 19 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Warriors.
Kata made 23 appearances for the Warriors in 2018, as the club returned to the finals for the first time since 2011, scoring 12 tries in total.
Kata was switched by the Warriors from left centre to right centre from the beginning of the season.[19] After playing 6 matches and scoring 2 tries, with his form falling away he was dropped to their reserve team in the New South Wales Canterbury Cup. On 24 June it was announced that he had been granted an immediate release and had signed a contract with the Melbourne Storm until the end of the 2020 season.[20][21]
Kata returned to Rugby Union and begun playing for the Brumbies. In August 2022, Kata signed for Premiership Rugby side Exeter Chiefs.[22] The following year he announced his signing with the Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby.[23]
