After completing his schooling, he played with Patumahoe RFC in the Counties Manukau Rugby Championship.[6][7] At the same time, he represented the Counties Manukau province under-19 team.[7][8] He also played with the Under-20 team, then the Development team, of the Chiefs franchise in 2016.[9][10]
The 19-year-old was retained in the Counties Manukau senior roster for the 2016 National Provincial Championship (NPC) season.[2][11] He played his first match at the professional level on 18 August 2016 against North Harbor.[12] He played five games in his first season, all as a substitute.[6]
Taulani played little with Counties Manukau in the 2017 and 2018 NPC seasons (two and three games played respectively), before finally breaking through in the 2020 season.[6]
After this first full season at provincial level, he played the pre-season of Super Rugby with the Chiefs franchise, and he was aligned in friendly matches.[13] Later in the season, he was granted a short-term contract with his team, following several injuries in the workforce.[14] He played his first game in Super Rugby Aotearoa on 1 May 2021, against the Blues.[15] He played a second match a month later, during the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, against the Waratahs.[16]
In August 2021 he joined Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby ahead of the 2021–22 season.[17][18][19] He played twelve games in his first season, mostly in a back- up role for England international Alex Dombrandt.[20] He also played one game with Harlequins partner club London Scottish in the Second Division.[20][21]
In the 2023 NPC season he played for the Counties Manukau Steelers.
Taulani was selected for the first time with the Tonga team in June 2021.[22] He earned his first cap against New Zealand on 3 July 2021 in Auckland.[23][24] He then played the double confrontation against Samoa, then the match against the Cook Islands, all in the context of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup.[25]
