Greg Fisilau
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| Date of birth | 9 July 2003[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Plymouth, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17.2 st; 240 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Edward's School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Kenni Fisilau (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Greg Fisilau (born 9 July 2003) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a back row for Premiership Rugby club Exeter Chiefs.
Early and personal life
[edit]Fisilau was brought up in Plymouth, the son of former Plymouth Albion centre and Tongan international Kenni Fisilau and his wife, Camilla. He started playing rugby union for Devonport Services in his hometown at U8 level. Fisilau received a scholarship to Caldicott School in Buckinghamshire and developed his skills there before joining Wasps Academy He has brothers called Makobilly and David, and two sisters named Lisia and Malieta.[3][4]
Club career
[edit]Fisilau came through the academy at Wasps RFC,[5] and also played on loan for Birmingham Moseley Rugby, making his debut against Plymouth Albion at The Brickfields.[6] He also played on loan for Ampthill RUFC in the Rugby Championship.[3]
Fisilau joined Exeter Chiefs in November 2022 upon the dissolution of Wasps for financial reasons.[7] Exeter had a long standing interest in the player and coach Rob Baxter suggested they would have made an approach to him even if Wasps had not suffered the financial demise.[8] He was said to have an “assured start” to his career at Exeter,[9] and became a regular in the Chiefs first team in the 2023-24 season.[10] He was nominated for the Premiership Rugby Player of the Month for October 2023.[11]
International career
[edit]Fisilau represented England U20 making his debut in the opening round of the 2022 Six Nations Under 20s Championship against Scotland.[12][13] He was also a member of the squad that finished fourth at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship.[14] In February 2024 Fisilau scored a try for England A in a victory over Portugal.[15] In May 2024, he was called up by Steve Borthwick to an England senior team training squad.[16] In November 2024, he was called-up to the England A national rugby union team.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Greg Fisilau". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Greg Fisilau". All Rugby. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Young Guns: Wasps & England U20s No. 8 Greg Fisilau". The Rugby Paper. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Kitson, Robert (5 April 2024). "Meet the Fisilaus: Exeter's Greg hopes to power through for England honours". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Westerby, John (10 November 2023). "Who can fill Pacific Island void left by Manu Tuilagi and Vunipolas?". The Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Newcombe, Jon (15 January 2023). "My Life in Rugby with Keni Fisilau: 'Gregory's got me cheering on rivals'". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Alfie Bell, Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Former Wasps players join Exeter". BBC Sport. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2023). "Exeter's rebuild is way ahead of schedule – here is why". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie (3 November 2023). "The No 8s who could replace Billy Vunipola for England". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Evely, John (8 November 2023). "Exeter Chiefs rising star sidelined by freak gym accident". Devon Live. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Greg Fisilau: Exeter forward sidelined by freak foot injury". BBC Sport. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Walrond, Nigel (6 November 2023). "Fisilau suffers freak foot injury in gym". Cornish-Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Bridge, Bobby (5 February 2022). "How Wasps' five young stars performed for England U20s against Scotland". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Fanning, Brendan (24 June 2023). "68 points, ten tries and one red card – Ireland kick off U-20 World Cup with thrilling draw against England". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "England A 91-5 Portugal". BBC Sport. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Kitson, Robert (26 May 2024). "Borthwick selects seven uncapped players in England training squad". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia fixture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
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