Savenaca Aria

Savenaca Aria (30 April 1964 – 15 March 2020) was a Fijian rugby union footballer and later a coach. He played as a centre.

Savenaca Aria
Full nameSavenaca Aria
Date of birth(1964-04-30)30 April 1964
Place of birthNawaka, Nadi, Fiji
Date of death15 March 2020(2020-03-15) (aged 55)
Place of deathNawaka, Nadi, Fiji
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
19??–19??
19??–1994		 Nawaka
Nadi		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1986–1994 Fiji 10 (8)
Coaching career
Years Team
2001
2002 (assistant coach)		 Nadi
Fiji

Career

As player, he played as outside centre[1] for Nawaka. In 1986 he played for Queensland in the Australian Provincial Championship.[2] Aria's first cap for Fiji was during a match against Wales, at Suva, on May 31, 1986. Despite not being part of the 1987 Rugby World Cup roster, four years later, he was called in the 1991 Rugby World Cup roster, playing two matches in the tournament. His last international cap was during a match against Japan, at Ehime, on May 8, 1994. In addition, he also played rugby sevens for the Nadi provincial team in the Fijian championship and played in the Hong Kong Sevens in 1987 and 1988 for the Fiji national team[3][4]..

Coaching career

Aria coached Nadi in 2001 and, a year later, in 2002, he became the assistant coach for Sanivalati Laulau in the Fiji national rugby union team. In 2009, he led the Fiji Police team, which won the Ratu Sukuna Cup, defeating the Fiji Armed Forces team[5] (the team's fifth consecutive victory).[6] He had the rank of police sergeant.[7] He also served as President of the Blue Football Club, which participated in the championship of the Nadi province.[8]

Death

Aria died on 15 March 2020, at his residence in Nawaka, Nadi, aged 55. He is survived by his wife Seru, five children and four grandchildren[9]

Notes
  1. "Rugby fraternity mourns loss of former Flying Fijian". FijiTimes. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  2. "Savenaca Aria profile". Teivovo.
  3. "Former Star Centre, Savenaca Aria, Dies". Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  4. "Savenaca Aria profile". Teivovo.
  5. "Former Star Centre, Savenaca Aria, Dies". Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  6. Fijivillage. "Police team out to make 5th in a row". www.fijivillage.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  7. Fijivillage. "Youths of Nawaka village given four acres of land". www.fijivillage.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  8. "Former Star Centre, Savenaca Aria, Dies". Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  9. "Former Star Centre, Savenaca Aria, Dies". 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-03-17.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.