Napolioni Nalaga
Encyclopedia
Napolioni Vonowale Nalaga (born 7 April 1986 in Sigatoka
Fiji
) is a Fiji
an rugby union
footballer. He plays as a wing, flanker and Centre. He is nicknamed Napoleon or Naps or Napo. His father, Kavekini Nalaga also represented Fiji in the 80's and just like his son, he played on the wing.
where he notched 7 tries in 3 games for the Fiji team. He also helped his Nadroga team win the U21 competition in the Sanyo Cup
for 2 years in a row. He was later selected to play for the Fiji U21 team to the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
in France
where Fiji finished 9th overall. He played as a Centre in the tournament. He also made his mark for the Nadroga senior team playing in the Sanyo Cup
and the Farebrother Sullivan cup. He was selected into the Fiji sevens
team by the then coach Waisale Serevi
who was impressed with the youngster for the first leg of the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series
after which he was given a contract to play for the ASM Clermont Auvergne
in the 2007/2008 season
alongside other Fijians, Vilimoni Delasau
and Seremaia Bai
where he finished the season as the leading try-scorer in the competition with 16 tries, 3 better than the previous year, top-try scorer, and captain, Aurélien Rougerie
.
In 2008 he was selected in the Pacific Islanders
2008 tour to the British Isles. He was selected to play against France
on 15 November 2008 where he made a late, high tackle that resulted in a serious injury to French scrum-half, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde
and was subsequently given a red card and expelled from the game. He was banned by the IRB judiciary for 22 days. He made a comeback for Clermont on December 13 in the Heineken Cup
against Munster
after his ban expired. and is the top try-scorer in the Top 14
with 13 tries. He has also being selected to be part of the Fiji sevens
team to the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
in Dubai
. He ended the 2008-09 Top 14 season
as the top try scorer scoring 20 tries in 19 appearances breaking the record he set last year
by 2 tries. In October 2009, he was named the French Top 14 player of the year for the 2008/2009
season and was also included in the French Dream team, the last Fijian to win that award was Rupeni Caucau in 2006
He was selected in the 30-member Fiji
squad for the 2009 Autumn Internationals and he made his debut against Scotland
on 14 November.
In Early 2011, he did not return to his club for the second half of the Top 14. It was later discovered his wedding which was to happen in December 2010 was postponed because his fiance was involved in a road accident. He was given time to return to the club but in March 2011, his contract with Clermont was terminated as Nalaga was unable to guarantee if he would return to France or not.
After being unheard for in months, he was spotted at a local rugby tournament in Fiji in May 2011 for Nadroga in the Digicel Cup. His prowess and form saw him getting a call-up to the Fiji national team to prepare for the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
. After passing the trials, he was included in the expanded Fiji team to prepare for the PNC and the upcoming 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
In September, 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Australian Super rugby side, Western Force
for the 2012 Super Rugby season
.
Sigatoka
For the banana disease, see Black sigatoka.Sigatoka is a town in Fiji. It is found on the island of Viti Levu and is situated at the mouth of the Sigatoka River, after which it is named, some 69 kilometers from Nadi. In Fiji's last census the population of Sigatoka was at 9622...
Fiji
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...
) is a Fiji
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 plays as a wing, flanker and Centre. He is nicknamed Napoleon or Naps or Napo. His father, Kavekini Nalaga also represented Fiji in the 80's and just like his son, he played on the wing.
Career
Nalaga is 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall and weighs 231 pounds (105 kg). He first played as a wing for the Fiji Under 19 team to the Under 19 Rugby World ChampionshipUnder 19 Rugby World Championship
The IRB under-19 Rugby World Cup was the premier tournament for male rugby union players under the age of 19 organised by the sports governing body the International Rugby Board annually from 2004 until 2007...
where he notched 7 tries in 3 games for the Fiji team. He also helped his Nadroga team win the U21 competition in the Sanyo Cup
Sanyo Cup
The Digicel Cup is Fiji's national provincial championship. The competition runs from May to September and is contested for between the country’s top 12 provincial sides...
for 2 years in a row. He was later selected to play for the Fiji U21 team to the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24 to 13....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where Fiji finished 9th overall. He played as a Centre in the tournament. He also made his mark for the Nadroga senior team playing in the Sanyo Cup
Sanyo Cup
The Digicel Cup is Fiji's national provincial championship. The competition runs from May to September and is contested for between the country’s top 12 provincial sides...
and the Farebrother Sullivan cup. He was selected into the Fiji sevens
Fiji 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...
team by the then coach Waisale Serevi
Waisale Serevi
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a former Fijian rugby union footballer, and coach. Although he played fifteen-a-side rugby throughout his playing career, Serevi is most notable for his achievements in rugby sevens....
who was impressed with the youngster for the first leg of the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series
2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series
2006–07 IRB Sevens World Series was the eighth of an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999-2000.New Zealand won the 2006-07 series by winning the final tournament in Edinburgh...
after which he was given a contract to play for the ASM Clermont Auvergne
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne are a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system, ASMCA are the were the 2010 France Top 14 Champions. It is the rugby section of the multi-sport club...
in the 2007/2008 season
2007-08 Top 14 season
The 2007-08 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition, operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . Because France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the competition did not begin at its normal time of August, but instead started on the last weekend in October 2007, one week...
alongside other Fijians, Vilimoni Delasau
Vilimoni Delasau
Vilimoni Waqatabu Delasau is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He plays as a wing. His nickname is Delz.-Career:...
and Seremaia Bai
Seremaia Bai
-Career:He currently plays for Castres Olympique after signing from ASM Clermont Auvergne in 2010 who both compete in France's Top 14 competition. He also plays for the Fiji national team and the Pacific Islanders. He has played under-19s, under 21s and under 23s for the Fiji national side...
where he finished the season as the leading try-scorer in the competition with 16 tries, 3 better than the previous year, top-try scorer, and captain, Aurélien Rougerie
Aurélien Rougerie
Aurélien Rougerie plays on the wing and Centre for France and captains ASM Clermont Auvergne in the French Top 14.-Career:Rougerie was born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme...
.
In 2008 he was selected in the Pacific Islanders
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
2008 tour to the British Isles. He was selected to play against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
on 15 November 2008 where he made a late, high tackle that resulted in a serious injury to French scrum-half, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde is a former French rugby union player, playing either as a scrum-half or as a fly-half, and current backs coach of the Stade Toulousain.-Early life:...
and was subsequently given a red card and expelled from the game. He was banned by the IRB judiciary for 22 days. He made a comeback for Clermont on December 13 in the Heineken Cup
2008-09 Heineken Cup
The 2008–09 Heineken Cup was the fourteenth edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started in October 2008 and ended on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh...
against Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
after his ban expired. and is the top try-scorer in the Top 14
2008-09 Top 14 season
The 2008–09 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . It ran from late August 2008 through the final at Stade de France on June 6, 2009, in which Perpignan lifted the Bouclier de Brennus with a 22–13 win over Clermont.This...
with 13 tries. He has also being selected to be part of the Fiji sevens
Fiji 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...
team to the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup was the fifth edition of the Rugby sevens world cup. The International Rugby Board selected Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the host venue for the tournament ahead of bids from four other countries. The format included nine direct qualifiers and a further...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. He ended the 2008-09 Top 14 season
2008-09 Top 14 season
The 2008–09 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . It ran from late August 2008 through the final at Stade de France on June 6, 2009, in which Perpignan lifted the Bouclier de Brennus with a 22–13 win over Clermont.This...
as the top try scorer scoring 20 tries in 19 appearances breaking the record he set last year
2007-08 Top 14 season
The 2007-08 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition, operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . Because France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the competition did not begin at its normal time of August, but instead started on the last weekend in October 2007, one week...
by 2 tries. In October 2009, he was named the French Top 14 player of the year for the 2008/2009
2008-09 Top 14 season
The 2008–09 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . It ran from late August 2008 through the final at Stade de France on June 6, 2009, in which Perpignan lifted the Bouclier de Brennus with a 22–13 win over Clermont.This...
season and was also included in the French Dream team, the last Fijian to win that award was Rupeni Caucau in 2006
He was selected in the 30-member 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...
squad for the 2009 Autumn Internationals and he made his debut 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...
on 14 November.
In Early 2011, he did not return to his club for the second half of the Top 14. It was later discovered his wedding which was to happen in December 2010 was postponed because his fiance was involved in a road accident. He was given time to return to the club but in March 2011, his contract with Clermont was terminated as Nalaga was unable to guarantee if he would return to France or not.
After being unheard for in months, he was spotted at a local rugby tournament in Fiji in May 2011 for Nadroga in the Digicel Cup. His prowess and form saw him getting a call-up to the Fiji national team to prepare for the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
The 2011 Pacific Nations Cup was a rugby union tournament held between the four national sides on the Pacific Rim: Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga....
. After passing the trials, he was included in the expanded Fiji team to prepare for the PNC and the upcoming 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...
.
In September, 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Australian Super rugby side, Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
for the 2012 Super Rugby season
2012 Super Rugby season
The 2012 Super Rugby season is the second season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this is the 17th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier...
.
See also
- 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship2006 Under 21 Rugby World ChampionshipThe 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24 to 13....
- 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series2006–07 IRB Sevens World Series was the eighth of an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999-2000.New Zealand won the 2006-07 series by winning the final tournament in Edinburgh...
- 2007-08 Top 14 season2007-08 Top 14 seasonThe 2007-08 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition, operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . Because France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the competition did not begin at its normal time of August, but instead started on the last weekend in October 2007, one week...