Fetu'u Vainikolo
Encyclopedia
Fetu'u Moana Vainikolo is a Tonga
n rugby union
player. Noted for his explosive ball-carrying ability, he represented the Highlanders in the Super 14
competition between 2008 and 2010. For season 2011-12 Vainikolo has moved to Galway, Ireland
where he is playing RaboDirectPro12
and Heineken Cup
side Connacht Rugby
.
, Vainikolo's family moved to New Zealand
in 1997 when he was 12. He moved through rugby age group levels in Auckland before moving to the Wellsford club in Northland
in 2007.
, scoring 5 tries in just 10 matches to earn himself a Super Rugby contract. He repeated the feat with another 5 tries in 2008
.
Vainikolo transferred to Otago to join many of his Highlanders teammates for the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
. However, he was unable to duplicate his success for Northland, missing much of 2009 through injury and then struggling with poor form throughout the 2010 ITM Cup
.
. While the team endured a difficult campaign, Vainikolo stood out as an offensive weapon, finishing 3rd in the entire competition with 6 tries including several of the highlight-reel variety.
In the 2009 Super 14 season
, Vainikolo struggled to repeat his first-year success, scoring only 2 tries and coming into increased criticism for his defensive play, splitting starts with the more reliable Kendrick Lynn
. In 2010
, he started the season sharing playing time with James Paterson
, but started the last 7 games of the year and finished with 5 tries to co-lead the club along with Israel Dagg
.
Concerns about his all-around game and poor form during the 2010 ITM Cup
saw Vainikolo left off the Highlanders main squad for the 2011 Super 15 season
, although he was included in the team's wider training group.
Vainikolo joined Irish province Connacht
for the 2011-2012 season.
World Cup
squad on August 8, and made his test debut on 13 August 2011 against Fiji
in a 27-12 loss. His second appearance came one week later with a starting place in Tonga's 32-20 win against Fiji at Churchill Park
, Lautoka
in which he scored his first try for Tonga.
At Rwc2011 his first World Cup outing was a starting place in Tonga's 25-20 loss to Canada
, his second appearance came against Japan
in which he scored Tonga's third try in a 31-18 group match. win
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...
n rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player. Noted for his explosive ball-carrying ability, he represented the Highlanders in the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition between 2008 and 2010. For season 2011-12 Vainikolo has moved to Galway, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
where he is playing RaboDirectPro12
2011–12 Celtic League
The 2011–12 RaboDirect PRO12 will be the 11th Celtic League season and the first with RaboDirect as title sponsor.The twelve teams competing were the four Irish provinces, Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster; two Scottish regions, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors; four Welsh regions, Cardiff...
and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
side Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
.
Early career
Born in TongaTonga
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...
, Vainikolo's family moved to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1997 when he was 12. He moved through rugby age group levels in Auckland before moving to the Wellsford club in Northland
Northland Rugby Union
The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
in 2007.
Provincial Rugby
He made an explosive debut in the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup2007 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2007 Air New Zealand Cup was a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. Matches started on Thursday 26 July 2007, and the Final, in which Auckland defeated Wellington, was held on Saturday 20 October....
, scoring 5 tries in just 10 matches to earn himself a Super Rugby contract. He repeated the feat with another 5 tries in 2008
2008 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2008 Air New Zealand Cup was a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. Matches started on Thursday 31 July 2008, and continued until the final on 25 October 2008....
.
Vainikolo transferred to Otago to join many of his Highlanders teammates for the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
2009 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup was the 33rd provincial rugby union competition, the fourth since the competition reconstruction in 2006, involving the top 14 provincial unions in New Zealand. It ran for 15 weeks from 30 July to 7 November...
. However, he was unable to duplicate his success for Northland, missing much of 2009 through injury and then struggling with poor form throughout the 2010 ITM Cup
2010 ITM Cup
The 2010 ITM Cup was the 34th provincial rugby union competition, the fifth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the first under the new sponsor of ITM , involving the top 14 provincial unions of New Zealand...
.
Super Rugby
On the heels of his success with Northland, Vainikolo was drafted into the Highlanders squad for the 2008 Super 14 season2008 Super 14 season
The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' home fans. The 2008 season was the third of the expansion,...
. While the team endured a difficult campaign, Vainikolo stood out as an offensive weapon, finishing 3rd in the entire competition with 6 tries including several of the highlight-reel variety.
In the 2009 Super 14 season
2009 Super 14 season
The 2009 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2009 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 30 May, when the Bulls won their second Super Rugby title with a decisive 61–17 victory over the Waikato Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. The 2009 season...
, Vainikolo struggled to repeat his first-year success, scoring only 2 tries and coming into increased criticism for his defensive play, splitting starts with the more reliable Kendrick Lynn
Kendrick Lynn
Kendrick Graeme Lynn is a professional rugby union player. A versatile utility back, he plays his provincial rugby for Southland in the ITM Cup and is a member of the Highlanders Super Rugby squad....
. In 2010
2010 Super 14 season
The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one...
, he started the season sharing playing time with James Paterson
James Paterson (rugby union)
James Douglas Paterson is a native New Zealand rugby union player, although he has dual United States and New Zealand citizenship due to his mother Deanna being a US citizen.-Career:...
, but started the last 7 games of the year and finished with 5 tries to co-lead the club along with Israel Dagg
Israel Dagg
Israel Dagg is a World Cup winning New Zealand Rugby union player who plays for the Crusaders in the Super 15 and the All Blacks. He has also played for the New Zealand Sevens team. He is of Maori descent, on his mother's side....
.
Concerns about his all-around game and poor form during the 2010 ITM Cup
2010 ITM Cup
The 2010 ITM Cup was the 34th provincial rugby union competition, the fifth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the first under the new sponsor of ITM , involving the top 14 provincial unions of New Zealand...
saw Vainikolo left off the Highlanders main squad for the 2011 Super 15 season
2011 Super 15 season
The 2011 Super Rugby season was the first season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involved teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 16th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier...
, although he was included in the team's wider training group.
Connacht Rugby
On the conclusion of Tonga's participation at the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
Vainikolo joined Irish province Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
for the 2011-2012 season.
International Representation
Vainikolo was selected in the TonganTonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
squad on August 8, and made his test debut on 13 August 2011 against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
in a 27-12 loss. His second appearance came one week later with a starting place in Tonga's 32-20 win against Fiji at Churchill Park
Churchill Park (Lautoka)
Churchill Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Lautoka, Fiji. It is currently used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of Lautoka FC.The Stadium also hosts International Rugby matches such as the Pacific Nations Cup and the Pacific Rugby Cup as well as local rugby competitions...
, Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
in which he scored his first try for Tonga.
At Rwc2011 his first World Cup outing was a starting place in Tonga's 25-20 loss to Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, his second appearance came against Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in which he scored Tonga's third try in a 31-18 group match. win