Epalahame Lauaki
Encyclopedia
Epalahame Lauaki is a professional rugby league
footballer formerly contracted to English club Hull in the Super League
. He is brother of All Black Sione Lauaki
. He is the cousin of rugby league and union star Tevita Vaikona
.
and then at Kelston Boys High School and played for the Waitemata Seagulls and Glenora Bears
in the Auckland Rugby League
competition.
and made his first grade
debut on March 14, 2004 against the Brisbane Broncos
at Suncorp Stadium
. During his Warriors career he was used mainly as an interchange player, starting only ten games in sixty nine appearances. When not selected for the first grade side, Lauaki played for the Waitakere Rangers
in the Bartercard Cup
and the Auckland Lions
and Auckland Vulcans
in the NSW Cup. In 2007 he signed a three year extension with the Warriors, making him a Warrior until the end of the 2010 season.
.
He made his Super League debut for Hull against Harlequins Rugby League on 21 August 2009 and has since made himself a crowd favourite at the KC Stadium
.
After finally arriving at the KC Stadium
late in 2009, Lauaki made his intentions clear with a number of brutally committed displays. The hard-working, powerful second-rower or prop forward will provide some serious physicality, along with good feet and a great offload and many teams will fear him this season. Those attributes were epitomised in 2010, with a stunning hand off on Leon Pryce to score against St. Helens on the opening day of the season, before a similar try against Salford later that year as he held off four men to touch down.
In 2007 Lauaki was then named in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the tour of Great Britain
. He played in two tests for the Kiwis and also played in the All Golds
match.
Lauaki then decided to switch his international allegiance to the nation of his birth, Tonga. In August 2008, Lauaki was named in the Tongan training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man Tonga squad. He played in three games at the tournament as well as a warm up game against the New Zealand Kiwis.
Lauaki married Renee from Kolovai, Tonga whom he met in Auckland, New Zealand. They have one child together, Kepu Lauaki Jr, who is named after his father. Lauaki and his family currently reside in England.
Lauaki is good friends with fellow Hull and Tonga
team mates Willie Manu
and Sam Moa. The trio are commonly known by the Hull fans as 'The Tongan Mafia'.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer formerly contracted to English club Hull in the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. He is brother of All Black Sione Lauaki
Sione Lauaki
Sione Tuitupu Lauaki is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. His brother, Epalahame Lauaki, is a 2nd rower for Hull in the Super League competition and also a New Zealand international.-Early career:...
. He is the cousin of rugby league and union star Tevita Vaikona
Tevita Vaikona
Tevita Vaikona is a professional rugby footballer, a powerful winger who enjoyed massive success in rugby league and picked up many honours before switching codes to rugby union where he was also hugely successful....
.
Early years
Lauaki was educated at Waitakere CollegeWaitakere College
Waitakere College is a secondary school located in West Auckland, New Zealand. It caters for students from year 9 to year 13.Students entering the college are allocated into one of three "Houses". The house names use Māori words: Aroha , Manawanui , and Matauranga...
and then at Kelston Boys High School and played for the Waitemata Seagulls and Glenora Bears
Glenora Bears
The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. The club was established in 1931...
in the Auckland Rugby League
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
competition.
Warriors
He was signed by the New Zealand WarriorsNew Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
and made his first grade
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
debut on March 14, 2004 against the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
. During his Warriors career he was used mainly as an interchange player, starting only ten games in sixty nine appearances. When not selected for the first grade side, Lauaki played for the Waitakere Rangers
Waitakere Rangers
The Waitakere Rangers were a franchise in the now defunct Bartercard Cup rugby league competition in New Zealand. They represented five clubs based in Waitakere City including the Glenora Bears who previously represented the City in the Bartercard Cup. The other four clubs were the Waitemata...
in the Bartercard Cup
Bartercard Cup
The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...
and the Auckland Lions
Auckland Lions
The Auckland Lions were a rugby league club that had teams in both the New Zealand Bartercard Cup and the NSWRL Premier League. They were mostly based around the Mt Albert Lions Rugby League club...
and Auckland Vulcans
Auckland Vulcans
The Auckland Vulcans are an Auckland based rugby league club that participates in the New South Wales Cup. They are administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team is selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Competition and also uses Warriors squad members not...
in the NSW Cup. In 2007 he signed a three year extension with the Warriors, making him a Warrior until the end of the 2010 season.
Hull
On 23 February 2009 it was announced that Lauaki had been released by the Warriors so he could sign a 3-year deal to play for Hull in the Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
.
He made his Super League debut for Hull against Harlequins Rugby League on 21 August 2009 and has since made himself a crowd favourite at the KC Stadium
KC Stadium
The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC,...
.
After finally arriving at the KC Stadium
KC Stadium
The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC,...
late in 2009, Lauaki made his intentions clear with a number of brutally committed displays. The hard-working, powerful second-rower or prop forward will provide some serious physicality, along with good feet and a great offload and many teams will fear him this season. Those attributes were epitomised in 2010, with a stunning hand off on Leon Pryce to score against St. Helens on the opening day of the season, before a similar try against Salford later that year as he held off four men to touch down.
Representative career
In 2006 Lauaki was named in the New Zealand 'A' team that played against an Australian Invitational side.In 2007 Lauaki was then named in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the tour of Great Britain
2007 All Golds Tour
The 2007 All Golds Tour was conducted as part of the celebrations of a century of rugby league in New Zealand. It was a re-creation of the original New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain in 1907. The New Zealand Kiwis toured Great Britain and France playing four test matches. They lost the...
. He played in two tests for the Kiwis and also played in the All Golds
All Golds
The All Golds could mean;*The touring party of New Zealand players in the 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain*The New Zealand national rugby league team itself*The 2007 All Golds Tour in celebration of the original tour...
match.
Lauaki then decided to switch his international allegiance to the nation of his birth, Tonga. In August 2008, Lauaki was named in the Tongan training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man Tonga squad. He played in three games at the tournament as well as a warm up game against the New Zealand Kiwis.
Personal life
Lauaki is the third eldest from a total of nine siblings. His parents Kepu and Mele Fale Lauaki both come from the Tonga. His immediate family reside in Auckland, New Zealand.Lauaki married Renee from Kolovai, Tonga whom he met in Auckland, New Zealand. They have one child together, Kepu Lauaki Jr, who is named after his father. Lauaki and his family currently reside in England.
Lauaki is good friends with fellow Hull and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
team mates Willie Manu
Willie Manu
Willie Manu is an Australian rugby league footballer of Tongan descent who plays for Hull of Super League. He previously played for the Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and St...
and Sam Moa. The trio are commonly known by the Hull fans as 'The Tongan Mafia'.