Waisea Nayacalevu
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (October 2024) |
.jpg) Nayacalevu representing Stade Français during the Top 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Waisea Nayacalevu Vuidravuwalu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 June 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Navua, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Lomary Secondary School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Waisea Nayacalevu Vuidravuwalu (born 26 June 1990) is a Fijian professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks and captains the Fiji national team.[1]
Club career
[edit]Waisea, along with his brother, Avenisi Vasuinubu both played for Melbourne Rugby in the Victoria Rugby Championships. The brothers decided to join the Uprising team in the Uprising 7's tournament held in Fiji in 2012.
He was signed on by French side Stade Français after his performance in the PNC and he made his debut against Montpellier in August 2012. After 10 years in Paris, Waisea signs for Top 14 rivals Toulon on a two-year deal ahead of the 2022-23 season.[2]
On 16 March 2024, Waisea would move to England to sign for Sale Sharks in the Premiership Rugby competition ahead of the 2024-25 season.[3]
International career
[edit]He played so well at club level that both himself and his brother were selected to join the Fiji 7's team for the 2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series.[4] Waisea was one of the stand-out performers that season scoring 25 tries that season equal with another rising star, Metuisela Talebula. He was selected in the Fiji 15's team for the 2012 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. He made his debut for Fiji against Japan on the right wing and scored a try as well. He scored a try against Scotland two weeks later. In May 2013, he returned to Fiji to try to win his place back to represent the Fiji 7's team at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Since 2021, he has been sharing the captaincy duties for the Flying Fijians with Levani Botia and Semi Radradra being one of the most experienced and standout players in the team.
Selected to be the captain of the Flying Fijians in their historic victory over England in the warm-up match in 2023 at Twickenham Stadium and also led Fiji to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France where they reached the quarterfinal after 16 years.
There is some criticism from rugby traditionalists of his captaincy role within the Flying Fijians and he has a tendency to argue with referees and question their decisions, as this was not the norm with past Fijian national captain. But his selection is more than warranted scoring 19 tries for the Flying Fijians
References
[edit]- ^ "Waisea NAYACALEVU". All Rugby. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Waisea Nayacalevu will join Toulon". Rugby Pass. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "Waisea Nayacalevu: Sale Sharks to sign Fiji captain from Toulon for next season". BBC Sport. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ New 7s reps
External links
[edit]- Waisea Nayacalevu at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series
- Waisea Nayacalevu at ESPNscrum
- Waisea Nayacalevu at ItsRugby.co.uk
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Fijian rugby union players
- Fiji international rugby union players
- Fijian expatriate rugby union players in France
- Rugby union centres
- Rugby union wings
- Stade Français Paris players
- RC Toulon players
- People from Navua
- I-Taukei Fijian people
- 2015 Rugby World Cup players
- 2019 Rugby World Cup players
- 2023 Rugby World Cup players