Namatahi Waa

Namatahi Waa (born 24 September 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a prop for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship competition[1] and Austin Gilgronis in the Major League Rugby (MLR).[2]

Namatahi Waa
Date of birth (1990-09-24) 24 September 1990
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight119 kg (18 st 10 lb; 262 lb)
SchoolTe Aute College
Occupation(s)Rugby player / Arborist
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Hawke's Bay, Austin Gilgronis
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014−2017 Northland 29 (10)
2016 Blues 3 (0)
2019− Hawke's Bay 21 (10)
2022− Austin Gilgronis 10 (5)
Correct as of 6 June 2022

Early career

Waa hails from Pīpīwai in the Northland Region in New Zealand.[3] For his final years of high school (2008-2010) he attended Te Aute College in Hawke's Bay; while there, he played for the college's First XV.[4] He also played for the Hawke's Bay under-18 and under-19 representative teams.

After finishing secondary school, Waa returned home to Northland, but later moved to Auckland where he was named in the Auckland Juniors (U21) squad in 2012[5] and Auckland B squad in 2013.[6]

In February 2014, he was - for the first time - named in the Blues Development squad.[7]

Senior career

In 2014, Waa turned down a contract with Auckland and instead signed with the Northland Rugby Union for the 2014 ITM Cup season.[8] He made his provincial debut for Northland on 17 August 2014 against Manawatu.[9] In that and the following three seasons, he played a total of 29 games for the Taniwha.

On 28 October 2015, Waa was named in the Blues wider training group ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.[10] He made his Blues and Super Rugby debut, off the bench, on 8 April 2015 against the Chiefs.[11] He played two more games for the Blues.[12]

In 2019, Waa returned to Hawke's Bay and played for Taradale Rugby and Sports in the province's club rugby competition, hoping to make the Magpies squad.[13] On 5 August 2019, he was named in the Hawke's Bay squad for the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season.[14] He made his Magpies debut against Manawatu on 11 August 2019.[15]

International

In 2016, Waa - who is of Ngāpuhi descent - was called into the Māori All Blacks squad for their Northern tour to Chicago, Limerick and London as an injury replacement for Mike Kainga,[16] but didn't get named in the teams to play the United States, Munster and Harlequins.

References
  1. "2021 Magpies Squad". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. "Austin Gilgronis". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. "Maori All Blacks update with Namatahi Waa". allblacks.com. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  4. "Waa's comeback is one to treasure". Hawke's Bay Today. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  5. "2012 Auckland Juniors squad". Auckland Rugby. August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  6. "2013 Auckland Bs squad". Auckland Rugby. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  7. "2014 Blues development squad named". Blues. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. "2014 Northland ITM Cup squad announced". Northland Rugby Union. 19 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  9. "Nine nervous newbies set". The Northern Advocate. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. "Blues 2016 Squad Guide" (PDF). Blues. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  11. "Match centre: Chiefs v Blues". SANZAAR. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  12. "Namatahi Waa Blues Player Profile". Blues. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. "Villagers book semifinal berth for first time in three years". Hawke's Bay Today. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  14. "Magpies 2019 Mitre 10 Cup Squad Named". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. "Match centre: Manawatu v Hawke's Bay". Fox Sports. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. New Zealand Rugby [@NZRugby] (29 October 2016). "NEWS: A calf injury has ruled Taranaki's Mike Kainga out of the Maori @AllBlacks squad; replaced by Northland's Namatahi Waa (Ngapuhi)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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