Halani Aulika
Encyclopedia
Halani Aulika is a Tonga
n rugby union
prop who currently plays provincial rugby for Otago
in the ITM Cup and the Highlanders in the Super 15 competition.
, Aulika emigrated to New Zealand
in 2000 at the age of 17. After finishing school, he was a fixture in Auckland club rugby for several years but was unable to break into the Auckland provincial side. Short of opportunities in Auckland, he transferred to Otago for the 2010 ITM Cup
.
With Otago, Aulika was an instant success and one of the bright lights in a disappointing season for the province.
After serving a 3-match ban for an incident in club rugby, he quickly established himself as one of the side's starting props alongside former All Black Kees Meeuws
. In 10 appearances, he scored a team-leading 5 tries and established himself as one of the best attacking props in the competition.
In the 2011 ITM Cup
, Aulika appeared in the first 5 matches of the season for Otago before leaving to take up his international duties for Tonga ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
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...
prop who currently plays provincial rugby for Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
in the ITM Cup and the Highlanders in the Super 15 competition.
Provincial Rugby
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...
, Aulika emigrated 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 2000 at the age of 17. After finishing school, he was a fixture in Auckland club rugby for several years but was unable to break into the Auckland provincial side. Short of opportunities in Auckland, he transferred to Otago for 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...
.
With Otago, Aulika was an instant success and one of the bright lights in a disappointing season for the province.
After serving a 3-match ban for an incident in club rugby, he quickly established himself as one of the side's starting props alongside former All Black Kees Meeuws
Kees Meeuws
Kees Junior Meeuws is a former New Zealand rugby union prop and current assistant coach of the Highlanders in the Super Rugby tournament. Meeuws played 42 tests for the All Blacks between 1998 and 2004, scoring 10 test tries...
. In 10 appearances, he scored a team-leading 5 tries and established himself as one of the best attacking props in the competition.
In the 2011 ITM Cup
2011 ITM Cup
The 2011 ITM Cup is the 35th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand, the sixth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the second under the new sponsor of ITM ....
, Aulika appeared in the first 5 matches of the season for Otago before leaving to take up his international duties for Tonga ahead of the 2011 Rugby 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...
.