Wycliff Palu
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Weight | 120 kg (18 st 13 lb; 265 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Mark Gerrard, Mo'onia Gerrard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wycliff Palu (born 27 July 1982), known as Cliffy Palu, is an Australian former professional rugby union footballer of Tongan descent. He played for the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby and represented Australia in 58 tests.[1]
Early life
Palu was born in Sydney. His mother was Keta Iongi, a Tongan sprinter who won several gold medals at the South Pacific Games.[2] He attended Balgowlah Boys High School.[citation needed]
Career
A hard running backrow player Palu made his provincial debut in a match against a Samoan side in 2003 after which he had a stint at NRL side
Palu sustained a shoulder injury midway through the
Palu was named at number eight for the opening Tri-Nations match against New Zealand on 18 July 2009, after he recovered from a hand injury which forced him to miss all of Australia's matches earlier in the year.[4]
Palu suffered a knee-ligament injury against the Crusaders in April 2010, then a
He returned to the Wallabies for a successful season in 2012, starting at Number 8 for the three-nil test series win against
The following month, Palu completed the twelfth and final season of his career with the Waratahs,[1] which had included starting at Number 8 for the team's Super Rugby title-winning season in 2014. He joined Japanese club Toyota Verblitz for his last professional club contract in 2016 and 2017.[1]
Controversies
In late 2009 during the drawn Test between Ireland and Australia, Palu was given a yellow card by the South African referee Jonathan Kaplan for allegedly making a shoulder charge on Rob Kearney, Ireland's fullback. However, it's suggested Kearney in fact made the shoulder charge on Palu whilst carrying the ball.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Get to know: Toyota Verblitz". Melbourne Rebels. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ "Tongan rugby player's death reveals sport talent runs in family blood". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Palu may make league switch". Rugby League News. Sporting Life. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ "Australia name Palu in Test side". BBC Sport. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Pandaram, Jamie (17 March 2011). "Palu returns with a new hunger and outlook". Brisbane Times. Fairfax. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2011: Australia forward Wycliff Palu out of tournament". The Guardian. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Palu calls time on Wallabies career". Sporting News. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ Zavos, Spiro (18 November 2009). "The curious case of Wycliff Palu's yellow card". Roar. Conversant Media. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
External links
- Wycliff Palu at ESPNscrum
- Wycliff Palu at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Waratahs player detail: Wycliff Palu at the Wayback Machine (archived 25 January 2014)