Marika Vunibaka
Encyclopedia
Marika "Dawainavesi" Vunibaka (born 3 November 1974) is a Fiji
an rugby union
footballer. He has represented the national team
on numerous occasions, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup
in Wales
and the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia
.
He represented Fiji at rugby sevens
level from 1997–2008 and is one of the few sevens players to play in 3 Rugby World Cup Sevens
, 1997
, 2001
and 2005
. His team won the World Cup in both 1997 and 2005 where he was the top try scorer in the 1997 world cup.
He played for the New Zealand team the Crusaders in the international Super 12
competition and Canterbury
in the N.P.C
. He scored 35 tries out of the 50 Matches for Crusaders.
He made his Test debut for Fiji in a match against Canada
in Vancouver
. He was then included in the Fijian squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
in Wales
, where he scored a try
in the pool match against Canada. He was included in their 2003 Rugby World Cup
squad, and scored a try
in the win over Japan
. Ranked as one of the quickest men to play for the Canterbury Crusaders alongside the likes of Vilimoni Delasau
, Rico Gear
and new speedster Sean Maitland
.
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...
footballer. He has represented the national 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...
on numerous occasions, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and 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 Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
He represented Fiji at rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
level from 1997–2008 and is one of the few sevens players to play in 3 Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
, 1997
1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the second edition of the tournament and held in Hong Kong. Fiji defeated South Africa 24-21 to take the title for the first time. The match is still considered one of the best Sevens matches of all time...
, 2001
2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens or the Melrose Cup was the 3rd edition of the tournament and held in Argentina. New Zealand defeated Australia to win the tournament for the first time. This was the first major rugby event ever held in South America....
and 2005
2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
-The winning team::Fiji national rugby sevens team*Waisale Serevi*Sireli Bobo*Vilimoni Delasau*William Ryder*Marika Vunibaka*Semisi Naevo*Nasoni Roko*Ifereimi Rawaqa*Jone Daunivucu*Lepani Nabuliwaqa*Norman Ligairi*Viliame Satala*Apolosi Satala...
. His team won the World Cup in both 1997 and 2005 where he was the top try scorer in the 1997 world cup.
He played for the New Zealand team the Crusaders in the international Super 12
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition and Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
in the N.P.C
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
. He scored 35 tries out of the 50 Matches for Crusaders.
He made his Test debut for Fiji in a match against 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...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. He was then included in the Fijian squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, where he scored a try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the pool match against Canada. He was included in their 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...
squad, and scored a try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the win over 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...
. Ranked as one of the quickest men to play for the Canterbury Crusaders alongside the likes of Vilimoni Delasau
Vilimoni Delasau
Vilimoni Waqatabu Delasau is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He plays as a wing. His nickname is Delz.-Career:...
, Rico Gear
Rico Gear
Rico Levi Gear is a New Zealand rugby union international player. He is a specialist right wing but can also cover midfield positions. He currently plays for Kintetsu Liners in the Top League....
and new speedster Sean Maitland
Sean Maitland
Sean Daniel Maitland is a New Zealand Rugby Union player who plays for the Crusaders in the Super 15. He also plays provincial rugby for Canterbury.-Early life:Sean Maitland was born in Tokoroa, New Zealand on 14 September 1988...
.
External links
- Marika Vunibaka on teivovo.com