Alama Ieremia
Date of birth | 27 October 1970 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Apia, Samoa | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Weight | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||
Rugby union career | |||
Playing career | |||
Position | Centre / Coach | ||
Professional / senior clubs | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
2001–2004 | Suntory | ||
Provincial/State sides | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1992–2000 | Wellington | 65 | |
Super Rugby | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1996–2000 | Hurricanes | 41 | (30) |
National team(s) | |||
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
1992–1993 1994–2000 |
Samoa New Zealand |
5 30 |
(0) (25) |
Coaching career | |||
Years | Club / team | ||
2005–2006 2007 2012– |
Suntory (Assistant Coach) Wellington (Assistant Coach) Hurricanes (Assistant Coach) | ||
Rugby union career |
Alama Ieremia (born 27 October 1970) is a New Zealand rugby union coach. He is a former Samoan international as well as a former All Black. He was born in Apia, Samoa.
He played provincial rugby with Wellington and played in the former Super 12 with the Hurricanes. He played at centre and played professional rugby with Japanese side Suntory Sungoliath.
Alama Ieremia has the distinction of scoring the first ever try in Super rugby, against the Blues in the inaugural Super 12 match in Palmerston North in 1996.
International career
Ieremia played internationals for Samoa during the 1992-93 season and was on the tour of New Zealand in 1993, playing in seven matches and for Samoa against the All Blacks at Eden Park in the first official international between the two countries.
But the following year Ieremia and the halfback Ofisa Tonu'u, as they were entitled to do at the time, changed their allegiances to New Zealand and both subsequently became All Blacks.
Ieremia's promotion was rapid for after the All Blacks had lost a two-test series against France in 1994 he was introduced for the three tests against the Springboks, playing at second five eighths with Frank Bunce, another who had been blooded by Samoa at test level, outside him at centre.
Ieremia was in the 1995 World Cup squad, but played only the pool match against Japan. For most of 1995 and 1996 the All Blacks' preference was for Walter Little as Bunce's partner and it was only an injury to Little that gave Ieremia his first extensive run as a regular test selection in 1997.
An injury during the 1998 Super 12 ruled him out of All Black selection that year. But he returned in 1999 and for the first part of the international programme he was used mainly at centre but for the bulk of the World Cup later in the year he was back at second five.
In 2000 he was again an All Black first choice, mainly again as a centre. Ieremia, a cheerful, articulate personality, was a strong, incisive runner and at 1.87m and 100 kg an imposing and powerful defender. He also had well developed skills and a solid boot. At his best, and when free from injury, he was one of the most consistently successful midfielders New Zealand rugby has had.
When he left New Zealand rugby at the end of the 2000 season to take up an overseas contract Ieremia had played 40 matches for the All Blacks, including 30 tests.
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