| South Africa vs Fiji during 2007 Rugby World Cup | |||
| Date of birth | 24 April 1984 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Suva, Fiji | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) [1] | ||
| School | Lelean Memorial School Suva Grammar School Wanganui Boys |
||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Flanker | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007 – |
Coastal Stallions Pertemps Bees Gloucester |
7 27 78 |
(35) (80) (110) |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2006 2005 – |
Fiji Warriors Fiji |
6 22 |
(20) (25) |
Akapusi Qera (born 24 April 1984 in Suva) is a Fijian professional rugby union player. A Flanker or No.8, Qera is from a sporting family; his father was an international cricketer for Fiji and his brother also played international rugby for Fiji.[2] He is also a first cousin of Fiji test international Viliame Veikoso. Qera is a current test international and has also captained the national side.[3] He has also previously been included in the core squad for Fiji Sevens.
Whilst playing for Pertemps Bees during the 2006–2007 season he was voted Fiji rugby player of the year.[4] Later in the season he was nominated for Fiji sportsman of the year, finishing second to golfer Vijay Singh.[5]
During the 2006–2007 season Qera attracted interest from many Guinness Premiership clubs and chose to sign for Gloucester Rugby, whom he currently still plays for.
Qera was a key player for Fiji during their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign in France in which he scored three tries and was later voted third in the Guinness Premiership player of the season awards for 2007–08.[6]
Since his debut season at Gloucester, Qera has gone on to captain the Fijian national side and also be awarded the Gloucester Player of the Year award in 2010.
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Coastal Stallions and Pertemps Bees
2005–2007
Qera's first professional club were Colonial Cup side Coastal Stallions whom he played for during the 2005–2006 season. During his time with the Stallions, Qera made numerous representative appearances for the Fiji U21 side and Fiji Warriors before progressing to the test squad in 2005. In total Qera made seven appearances for the Stallions scoring seven tries.
Qera then relocated to play professional club rugby in England for the Pertemps Bees.[7] During the 2006–2007 season at Pertemps Bees he was the club's top try scorer and the highest scoring forward in National Division One.
Gloucester Rugby
2007–2008
Qera moved to Gloucester, who play in the Guinness Premiership, at the start of the 2007–08 season.[8] He scored his first try for the club against Bourgoin in a 51–27 victory for Gloucester at Kingsholm. On 17 January 2008, Qera signed a new contract with Gloucester until 2010. On 19 April 2008 Qera scored a hat-trick in Gloucester's Guinness Premiership match versus Leeds Carnegie. In May 2008 Qera was nominated for the Guinness Premiership Player of the Year award for 2007–08, eventually finishing in third place behind England internationals Olly Barkley and James Simpson-Daniel. Then Gloucester Head Coach Dean Ryan said of Qera's debut Premiership season, "Akapusi's impact on the Premiership last season was tremendous and he produced a number of world class performances".[9]
2008–2009
In July 2008 Qera had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament and as a result he missed the start of the 2008-2009 season. Qera marked his return from injury with a try, coming off the bench to score in the corner in Gloucester's 24–22 win over London Wasps in March 2009. As a result of injury he made just 6 appearances for Gloucester during the season.
2009–2010
On 24 January 2010 Qera scored his second hat-trick for Gloucester in the Heineken Cup win over Newport Gwent Dragons.[10] He finished the 2009–2010 season with 10 tries from 31 first team appearances, proving his world class scoring rate and was Gloucester's second top overall try scorer for the season. He was voted Gloucester Rugby player of the season for 2009–2010.[11]
2010–2011
After suffering from Bell's Palsy towards the start of the season[12] Qera scored his first try of the campaign against Exeter Chiefs. Further scores came against London Irish in both the LV Cup and Premiership fixtures in February. He completed the season with 20 appearances in all competitions.
Early International Career
Qera had represented Fiji at U19 and U21 level before making his full Fiji debut against Samoa in 2005. He was included in the Fiji sevens training squad for 2006–2007 but was unable to attend due to his Pertemps Bees contract. In 2007 he was named Fiji Rugby Player of the Year.
2007 Rugby World Cup
Qera made an impressive impact at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. After scoring in the non-cap warm up match against SC Albi, he crossed for two tries in his side's 31–35 win over Japan. Qera then played in the game against Canada four days later and also played and scored the opening try in the 38–34 victory over Wales. This win clinched Fiji's qualification to the quarter finals in which they lost 37–20 to the eventual World Champions South Africa.[13]
2008 to present
In 2008 Qera played in the summer test against Samoa, starting from the bench. He also expressed a desire to represent Fiji at the Rugby World Cup Sevens, however ultimately did not participate.[14]
In 2009 Qera captained the national side against Scotland during Fiji's European tour.[15]
After missing the 2010 summer tests, Qera made his first appearance in a year for Fiji in the November test against France in Nantes. He then played in the subsequent tests against Wales and Italy.[16]
In June 2011, Fiji head coach Sam Domoni named Qera in the 43-man training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand.[17] After starting at flanker in summer tests against Japan and New Zealand, Qera was handed the captaincy for the home test versus Tonga due to the resting of World Cup captain Deacon Manu.
2011 Rugby World Cup
A surprise non-starter in Fiji's opening pool game, a 49-25 victory versus Namibia, Qera came off the bench to make his first appearance of the tournament. He subsequently started at flanker in the defeat to South Africa, before featuring off the bench in the final pool games against Samoa and Wales.
In total Qera has 23 full international caps for Fiji. He has also played in non-cap matches against Australia A, SC Albi and the Junior All Blacks twice.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01/07/06 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka | Japan | Win - 15-29 | Pacific Nations Cup |
| 2 | 14/07/06 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Australia A | Loss - 47-18 | Non-cap Friendly |
| 3 | 26/05/07 | Churchill Park, Lautoka | Japan | Win - 30-15 | Pacific Nations Cup |
| 4 | 25/08/07 | Stade Municipal, Camares | SC Albi | Win - 24-47 | Non-cap Friendly |
| 5 | 12/09/07 | Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse | Japan | Win - 35-31 | 2007 Rugby World Cup |
| 6 | 12/09/07 | Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse | Japan | Win - 35-31 | 2007 Rugby World Cup |
| 7 | 29/09/07 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes | Wales | Win - 38-34 | 2007 Rugby World Cup |
| Club | League Appearances (points) | Domestic Cup Appearances (points) | European Appearances (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham and Solihull | 23 (80 – 16T) | 4 (5 – 1T) | n/a |
| Gloucester Rugby | 50 (60 – 12T) | 13 (15 – 3T) | 15 (35 – 7T) |
Stats correct as of 11 June 2011
| Award | Fiji Rugby Player of the Year | Fiji Sportsman of the Year | Premiership Player of the Season | Gloucester Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2007 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 |
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st |
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