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Orene Ai'i

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Orene Ai'i
Date of birth (1979-09-23) 23 September 1979 (age 45)
Place of birthApia, Upolu, Samoa
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight81 kg (179 lb; 12.8 st)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half, Fullback
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1998–2004 Auckland 47 (126)
1999 Hurricanes 2 (0)
2000–2004 Blues 31 (69)
2005–2007 Toyota Verblitz ()
2008–2009 Toulon 41 (79)
2009–2012 Toyota Verblitz ()
2012 Blues 2 (0)
2012 Northland 8 (5)
2013–2014 Auckland 2 (3)
2016 San Francisco Rush 12 (25)
2021 LA Giltinis ()
2023– MSP Internationals ()
National sevens teams
Years Team Comps
1998 Samoa
1999–2005 New Zealand 7

Orene Ai'i (born 23 September 1979) is a Samoan-born, New Zealand rugby union player who played as a first five-eighth and fullback for the Blues in Super Rugby and Northland in the ITM Cup. He is currently a player and assistant backs coach for the LA Giltinis in Major League Rugby (MLR).

Professional career

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Ai'i made his professional rugby debut in 2000 against the ACT Brumbies.

He previously played for Toyota Verblitz in Japan and Toulon in France.

Starting in August 2016, he played fly-half/fullback for the San Francisco Rush in PRO Rugby, America's first professional rugby league.

Ai'i re-joined the Blues as an injury cover after his contract with Toyota Verblitz was completed.[1][2]

Match Fit

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Ai'i was drafted in Season 4 of Match Fit: Union vs. League in 2024 as a cover for Piri Weepu in the beach rugby game in Piha Beach. He scored a hat-trick and helped Union to win over League.[3]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ David Long (5 July 2012). "Orene Ai'i answers call for injury-stricken Blues". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  2. ^ David Long (3 July 2012). "Orene's back and Blue". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Match Fit Season 4 Ep 3 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
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