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Josefa Levula

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Jo Levula
Personal information
Full nameJosefa Vuniyayawa Levula
Born(1930-06-15)15 June 1930
Nadi, Fiji
Died2 July 1989(1989-07-02) (aged 59)
Rochdale, England
Playing information
Height1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight105 kg (16 st 7 lb; 231 lb)
Rugby union
PositionWing
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1951–61 Fiji 17 8 3 0 32
Rugby league
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1961–64 Rochdale Hornets 80 37 ? ? 207
1964–? Bradford Northern ? ? ? ? ?
Total
Source: [1]
Sports career
CountryFiji
SportAthletics
Event(s)100-yard dash,
220 yard dash
Sports achievements and titles
Personal best100-yard dash: 9.72s (NR)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Fiji
Australian Championships
Silver medal – second place 1954 Australia 100 yard
Bronze medal – third place 1954 Australia 220 yard
Updated on 17 June 2015

Josefa Vuniyayawa Levula (15 June 1930 – 2 July 1989), known as "Jo" or "Joe", was a Fijian track athlete, and rugby union and professional rugby league footballer. He represented the Fijian national rugby union team before turning professional with the Rochdale Hornets and Bradford Northern in England. He primarily played on the wing.

Levula earned the nickname "The Flying Fijian", which went on to become the nickname of the Fiji national rugby union team.

Career

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Rugby union

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Levula, who had an unorthodox high knee action and his exceptionally long strides represented Fiji in the 1960s. In 1951, over 3000 fans came to Buckhurst Park to see the final between Suva and the Northern District. Levula scored four tries to end Suva’s 10 year hold on the trophy.[2]

He was selected in the Fiji to tour New Zealand. He made his début for Fiji at fly-half and he scored a brace of tries against the Māori All Blacks to beat them 21–14[3] for which he received a New Zealand Rugby honour of being nominated as ‘Player of the Year'.[2] In August 1952, he was on the wing for Fiji when they created history by beating Australia.[4]

Athletics

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He joined the Athletics Fiji team in 1954 to take part in the Australian Athletics Championships. He finished 2nd in the 100-yard dash behind Hector Hogan.[2]

Rugby league

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In 1961, he defied the FRU when he left rugby union and went to England to join the Rochdale Hornets rugby league team with fellow Fijian Orisi Dawai, and later joined by Fijians Voate Drui and Laitia Ravouvou.[5][6] Levula transferred to Bradford Northern in 1964.[1]

He was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

References

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  1. ^ a b Walker, Gareth (14 April 2020). "The remarkable story of Rochdale's Fijian pioneers". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "The Rise Of Joe Levula". Fiji Sun. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Fiji vs NZ Maori". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  4. ^ Richards, Huw (7 August 2012). "Spectacular' Fiji make history against Australia". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. ^ Aldred, Tanya (8 October 2013). "World Cup romance comes to Rochdale with a dash of Fiji offered in the Pennines". Telegraph UK. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Voate Drui: Pioneer of the Fijian link in Rochdale". Rochdale Online. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
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