Mata Fafita

Mata Fafita
Full name Mataele Fafita
Date of birth 18 August 1988
Place of birth Tonga
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 110 kilograms (17 st 5 lb)
Rugby union career
Current status
Position(s) Flanker
current team Connacht
Playing career
Position Flanker
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
Sligo
Buccaneers
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2012– Connacht 15 (5)
correct as of 3 November 2013.

Mata Fifita (born 18 August 1988) is a rugby union player from Tonga. Fifita currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht Rugby in the Pro12. Though his favored position when he started playing for Connacht was centre, the 2013–14 season saw Fifita converted to a flanker.

Career

Amateur career

Living in the west of Ireland, Tonga native Fifita played rugby for Sligo, a local club. He played for the team in the amateur All-Ireland League until the 2011-12 season. In 2012, it was announced that Fifita had signed for professional provincial team Connacht Rugby, on the back of successful AIL and Connacht Senior Cup campaigns. Having been brought to the attention of the province's head coach Eric Elwood, the Connacht boss approached Fifita to invite him for a three month trial with the professional squad. Brought into the side as centre cover, the Tongan became the first Sligo senior player to sign a professional contract with Connacht.[1]

Connacht

Fifita was given his debut by head coach Eric Elwood on 1 September 2012 in the opening game of the 2012–13 Pro12. He started at inside centre alongside Eoin Griffin against Cardiff Blues and played the full 80 minutes.[2] Fifita made his European debut on 13 October 2012, as a replacement against Zebre in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, and made another replacement appearance in the competition, coming on against Harlequins.[3] He made a total of nine league appearances for the season, starting in three of those games.[4]

Eric Elwood left his post as Connacht coach at the end of the 2012–13 season and was replaced by Pat Lam. The new coach felt that Fifita would be of most use to the team as a flanker, rather than a centre, and began to use the Tongan as a back row forward for the 2013-14 season. Fifita played three games in the 2013–14 Pro12 under Lam, and also made an appearance from the replacement bench against Zebre in the 2013–14 Heineken Cup, scored his first Connacht against the Italian side.[4][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Fifita Signs Connacht Contract". Sligo RFC. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Connacht Rugby 9 - 13 Cardiff Blues". RaboDirectPRO12. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Player Archive: Mata Fifita". ERC. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Connacht Squad Index: Mata Fifita". RaboDirectPRO12. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

http://www.connachtrugby.ie/2012081482921/mata-fafita-201213 http://www.ultimaterugby.com/mata-fifita

External links