Sean Wainui
Date of birth | 23 October 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of death | 18 October 2021 | (aged 25)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | McLaren Falls, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Mount Albert Grammar School Takapuna Grammar School St Peter's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Paige Wainui | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | Arahia Te Ahikaaroa Turia-Fox, Kawariki Te Raiona Wainui | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sean Wainui (23 October 1995 – 18 October 2021) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played on the wing (and occasionally centre) for provincial side Bay of Plenty, the Chiefs in Super Rugby, and for New Zealand's Māori international side the Māori All Blacks.[1]
Early life
Wainui was a member of the Takapuna Grammar School 1st XV in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was awarded North Harbour's 2013 Māori Colts Senior Player of the Year whilst still in school.[2] Also an ex Takapuna Grammar Prefect and 1st XV Captain, Wainui represented New Zealand on the world stage after playing for the Champion New Zealand team in the Under 20 Rugby World Cup in Italy.[3] The team played England for the title, winning 21–16.[4]
Domestic career
Taranaki
Upon leaving school, Wainui was contracted by the
Crusaders
In 2015 he was signed by the
Chiefs
Prior to the
Bay of Plenty
On 27 May 2021, Wainui announced on Instagram that he had signed with Bay of Plenty for the 2021 NPC.[11]
International career
At the age of 19, Wainui was called up to the New Zealand U-20 team in 2015.[11]
Although the then 19-year-old Wainui had only played several matches for Taranaki, Colin Cooper, the Māori All Blacks coach, selected him for the 2015 tour to Fiji, playing against the national side, and ending against the specially made New Zealand Barbarians.[12] Overall he was capped 10 times.[11]
Personal life
Like many other fellow Māori All Blacks players, Wainui was a New Zealander of Māori descent (in his case, he was of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Porou descent).[13]
Death
Wainui died at about 7:50 am on 18 October 2021, five days before his 26th birthday, when the car that he was driving crashed into a tree at McLaren Falls Park near Tauranga. The coroner confirmed that Wainui’s case is being treated as a suspected suicide.[11][14][15] Wainui's tangihanga was held at Te Wainui marae in Whatatutu on 24 October 2021.[16]
Before the test match between the
A similar tribute was paid in 2022, when the Māori All Blacks performed their Haka Te Tīmatanga, just before their June 29 clash with Ireland. During the tribute, a green Irish jersey printed with the number eleven was presented to Wainui's widow and children.
References
- ^ "Sean Wainui Taranaki Profile". 1 August 2015.
- ^ "2013 ANNUAL AWARD RECIPIENTS" (PDF). Harbour Rugby. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Wainui called into under-20s". Stuff. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand 21-16 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Young centre Wainui face of Taranaki's future". Stuff. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Preview: Waikato v Taranaki". Planet Rugby. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Sean WAINUI - Player statistics". Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Taranaki players sprinkled around Super Rugby sides". Stuff. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Crusaders v Chiefs Super Rugby Preview". Super XV. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "Sean Wainui makes history with five tries as Chiefs end on high against Waratahs". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Sean Wainui: Maori All Blacks player dies in New Zealand car crash, BBC Sport, 18 October 2021
- ^ "Māori All Blacks announced for 2015". Māori Television. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "5 players from Ngāti Porou named in "Maori All Blacks"". Ngāti Porou East Coast. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Rugby: Chiefs, Bay of Plenty and Māori All Blacks back Sean Wainui dies in car crash". NZ Herald. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ Eva Corlett (26 October 2021), Sean Wainui: death of New Zealand rugby player treated as suspected suicide, The Guardian
- ^ "Māori All Blacks and Chiefs star Sean Wainui farewelled at tangi today". NZ Herald. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "All Blacks demolish USA Eagles but rugby union's flag is flying in States". The Guardian. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.