Kele Leawere
Encyclopedia
Senikavika Kelemete Leawere (born 27 April 1974) is a Fiji
an rugby union
player. He plays as a lock.
, Mika Leawere and Sekove Leawere. He departed for New Zealand in 1996 and has made an excellent name for himself in NPC Division Two
with East Coast
, making 56 appearances and playing for the NZ Divisional XV against Italy
and Ireland
. He also played for the Fiji Warriors
against the ACT Brumbies in 1997. He played for Nadroga and also represented the Coastal Stallions
in the Colonial Cup
.
In October 2002, Leawere flew to Fiji to attend the national trials and won selection for the tour to Britain and Ireland, making his Test debut as a replacement against Scotland
. He scored his first test try in June 2004 when he twisted and turned his way through the Samoan
defense in Suva
. He was a member of the Fiji
team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
.
In May 2007, he was chosen to be part of Fiji team
for the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup and later on co-captained the Fiji team
at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an 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. He plays as a lock.
Career
He is the elder brother of former Fiji sevens repFiji national rugby union team (sevens)
The Fiji Sevens side is one of the most popular and successful Sevens teams in the world and has won the Hong Kong Sevens a record nine times since its inception in 1976. Fiji has also won the Sevens World Cup twice, winning that event in 1997 and 2005...
, Mika Leawere and Sekove Leawere. He departed for New Zealand in 1996 and has made an excellent name for himself in NPC Division Two
Heartland Championship
The Heartland Championship New Zealand Division One competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the AA Rewards Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition,...
with East Coast
East Coast Rugby Football Union
The East Coast Rugby Football Union is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located on the East Coast of the North Island, based in Ruatoria. It is the smallest Union in New Zealand in the sense of player numbers and population base...
, making 56 appearances and playing for the NZ Divisional XV against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. He also played for the Fiji Warriors
Fiji Warriors
The Fiji Warriors are a Fijian rugby union team.They are one of the two Fijian teams that take part in the Pacific Rugby Cup competition, the other being the Fiji Barbarians...
against the ACT Brumbies in 1997. He played for Nadroga and also represented the Coastal Stallions
Coastal Stallions
Coastal Stallions are a Fijian rugby union team. They compete in Fiji's premier rugby union competition, the Colonial Cup. They are the reigning champions of Fiji rugby union. The franchise area covers Nadroga-Navosa, Namosi, Serua and Malolo.-History:...
in the Colonial Cup
Colonial Cup
The Colonial Cup was the second highest level of competition within Fijian rugby union and was intended to be a stepping stone for local players into international rugby union...
.
In October 2002, Leawere flew to Fiji to attend the national trials and won selection for the tour to Britain and Ireland, making his Test debut as a replacement against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. He scored his first test try in June 2004 when he twisted and turned his way through the Samoan
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
defense in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
. He was a member of the 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...
team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
.
In May 2007, he was chosen to be part of Fiji team
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...
for the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup and later on co-captained the Fiji team
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...
at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.