Tupou Vaa'i
NZ international rugby union player
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Tupou Paea'i Okalani Vaa'i (born 27 January 2000) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a lock for the All Blacks, the Chiefs in Super Rugby, and Taranaki in the Bunnings NPC.
Vaa'i in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Tupou Paea'i Okalani Vaa'i | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 27 January 2000 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wesley College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Early career
Vaa'i was born in New Zealand to a Tongan family.[1] In his youth career, he played for the Wesley College first XV and was Head Prefect, captaining the team in his last year of school. Vaa'i went on to play for the top representative team in secondary school, and was selected to play in the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championships for New Zealand.
Vaa'i debuted for Taranaki as an 18-year-old against Auckland, in 2018.[2] His Chiefs debut came in 2020, when the team was short on locks, having lost Michael Allardice and Laghlan McWhannell to season-ending injuries. Although Vaa'i was not originally contracted to the team at the start of 2020, he was promoted to a starting role following an injury to Naitoa Ah Kuoi.[3] Vaa'i was one of the Chiefs' better performers in their winless Super Rugby Aotearoa season and was named in the North Island team, for New Zealand's 2020 North vs South rugby union match.[4]
In September 2020, Vaa'i was named in Ian Foster's first ever All Blacks squad.[5][6]
Vaa'i debuted for New Zealand on 11 October 2020, replacing Patrick Tuipulotu off the bench, in the 75th minute, in a 16-16 draw against Australia. Vaa'i became the first player born in the 21st century to represent New Zealand in international rugby.
The following week, with Sam Whitelock ruled out due to concussion symptoms, Vaa'i made his first start for New Zealand, with the All Blacks going on to beat Australia 27-7. Following Tuipulotu's illness ahead of Bledisloe IV a fortnight later, Vaa'i was restored to the matchday 23, accompanying debutants Will Jordan, Asafo Aumua, and Cullen Grace on the bench. He scored his debut test try shortly after coming on, in the 78th minute. Vaa'i ended the 2020 season having played four tests for his country.
2021
Vaa'i became a regular starter for the Chiefs in 2021, finishing the season with a total of 19 Super Rugby caps. He played for the team in the Super Rugby Aotearoa final, which was lost to the Crusaders by 13-24.[7]
He did not feature in the 2021 mid-year tests due to injury, but played three tests for New Zealand during the 2021 Rugby Championship. Vaa'i was used as a replacement off the bench in wins over Argentina and Australia, before starting his first test of the year on 18 September. This was a 36-13 win against Argentina, where Vaa'i played all 80 minutes of the match and scored two tries.
Statistics
| Club | Year | Competition | GP | GS | TRY | CON | PEN | DGL | PTS | WL% |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taranaki | 2018 | Bunnings NPC (incl. Ranfurly Shield) |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50.00 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020† | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 66.67 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021† | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chiefs | 2020 | Super Rugby Pacific | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 66.67 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 69.23 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 46 | 40 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 54.35 | 1 | 0 | ||
Updated: 12 June 2022 Source: Tupou P O Vaa'i Rugby History
List of international test tries
| Try | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 November 2020 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia | Australia | 22–24 (Lost) | Australia Tour |
Updated: 21 June 2021 Source: Tupou P O Vaa'i Statsguru
