Ali Lauiti'iti
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Full name | Alaimatagi Lauitiiti[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | [2] Auckland, New Zealand | 13 July 1979||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alaimatagi "Ali" Lauitiiti (born 13 July 1979) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, as a second-row. He was touted as "The Michael Jordan of Rugby League" in his playing days due to his large hands and athleticism.[5]
Both a Samoa and New Zealand international representative forward, Lauitiiti played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition and for English clubs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. Whilst at the Leeds Rhinos, he was part of their 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009 championship-winning sides.
Background
Of Samoan descent, Lauitiiti was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 13 July 1979. He played rugby league football for the Mangere East club in 1996, and shone as a junior in their U19 side in 1997, scoring 17 tries in 19 games. He went on to gain international honours with the Junior Kiwis that year, and again in 1998. He is the uncle of New Zealand Warriors player Ali Leiataua and Dolphins player Herman Ese'ese.
Auckland
Lauitiiti made his
In 2002 he was named the NRL's second-rower of the year. He was an integral part of the Warriors squad that reached the
When Lauitiiti was released from his contract with the Warriors it sparked a worldwide chase for his signature. However, the Leeds Rhinos beat competition from 14 other clubs in Australia and England to secure the second rower.[6] He had appeared in 115 games for the Warriors and scored 33 tries by the time he left the club after the 2003 NRL season.
Leeds
Lauitiiti joined Leeds in May 2004 on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his début for Leeds against Salford and took little time to settle in, scoring his first try in the subsequent game against Bradford Bulls. His incredible ball-handling skills earned him a place in the Tetley's Super League Dream Team in 2004. He played for the Leeds Rhinos at second-row forward in their 2004 Super League Grand Final victory against the Bradford Bulls.
As
Lauitiiti played in Leeds' three Grand Final wins in a row between 2007 and 2009. He was also selected to represent the All Golds side in the match against The Northern Union at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington in October 2007, scoring two tries in the match. Lauitiiti was named in the Samoa squad for their 2008 Rugby League World Cup campaign.[7][8]
He played in the 2009 Super League Grand Final victory over St. Helens at Old Trafford.[9]
He played in the 2011 Super League Grand Final victory over St. Helens at Old Trafford.[10][11]
Wakefield Trinity
Lauitiiti joined Wakefield Trinity for the 2012 season and remained with the club until the end of 2015.
On 15 October 2015, it was announced that Lauitiiti would play one more time for Leeds in a
New Zealand Warriors
In November 2015 it was announced that Lauitiiti would return to the New Zealand Warriors, with the signing of a second-tier contract for 2016.[13] He retired at the end of the season.[14]
Match Fit
In 2023, Lauiti'iti participated in season 3 of Match Fit, where former rugby players return to play against the Australian counterparts. He joined in the first season that featured former rugby league stars.[15] He revealed he retired from rugby due to arthritic knees, partially made worse by his sweet tooth and liking milk chocolate. He was exempt from doing the Bronco fitness test, the 1.2km aerobic fitness and agility test. He performed a ramp test on an exercise bike instead so body weight and gravity aren't taken into account.
References
- ^ LAUITIITI, ALAIMATAGI 1998 - 2006 - KIWI #677 Archived 23 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Nzleague.co.nz
- ^ a b c "Ali Lauitiiti Wakefield Wildcats". Superleague.co.uk. Rugby Football League. 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ loverugbyleague
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Ali Lauiti'iti - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Rugby League: Ali ready for the real deal". NZ Herald. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Dave Hadfield. "Leeds see off stiff competition to sign Lauitiiti". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Samoa, Tonga and Fiji name squads". BBC. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ "Samoa name World Cup Squad". League Unlimited. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Fletcher, Paul (10 October 2009). "St Helens 10-18 Leeds Rhinos". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Leeds claim Grand Final glory as inspired Rob Burrow sinks St Helens". The Guardian. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "St Helens 16 Leeds 32". The Daily Telegraph. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Lauitiiti back for Headingley farewell against New Zealand". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Lauitiiti returns to Warriors". Nrl.com. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ "NRL to pay tribute to retiring players". Nrl.com. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Match Fit Season 3 Ep 1 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
External links
- New Zealand Warriors profile
- Leeds Rhinos profile
- (archived by web.archive.org) Ali Lauitiiti Official Player Profile
- Right man for the job