Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Siegfried Fisi'ihoi (born 8 June 1987) is a Tongan professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Pau and the Tonga national team.[1][2][3][4]
Date of birth | 8 June 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Vavaʻu, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 125 kg (276 lb; 19 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Rotorua Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
Born in Tonga, Fisi'ihoi moved to New Zealand in his teens and attended Rotorua Boys' High School where he initially played his rugby as a number eight. He stayed in the Bay of Plenty after school and was playing for their development side in 2010 when a minor liquor ban breach flagged up that he had overstayed his visa and he was subsequently deported back to Tonga. He was able to return to New Zealand the following year and played club rugby for Rotoiti while also having a spell playing for East Coast in the Heartland Championship.[1][4][5]
Club career
Bay of Plenty
Something of a late bloomer, Fisi'ihoi's first experience of senior provincial rugby came at the age of 27 when he made the Bay of Plenty squad for the 2014 ITM Cup. Playing largely off the bench in his debut season, he scored 2 tries in 7 appearances as the Steamers finished bottom of the Championship log. 2015 saw him play in 10 of the Steamers 11 Championship matches as they enjoyed a much better campaign, finishing in 3rd place before being eliminated by Hawke's Bay at the semi-final stage. He again made 10 appearances in 2016 to help the Bay to 4th place in the Championship and another exit at the semi-final stage, this time at the hands of Otago.[2]
Chiefs
Solid domestic performances for the Bay of Plenty in 2014 and 2015 saw him named in the Chiefs wider training group ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.[6] Injuries to fellow props Nepo Laulala and Pauliasi Manu meant that he got plenty of game time during his first year in Hamilton. He made 9 substitute appearances during his debut campaign as his new side reached the competition's semi-finals before going down to New Zealand rivals and eventual winners, the Hurricanes. As a reward for his displays throughout the season, he was promoted to the Chiefs senior squad for 2017.[3]
Career statistics
References
- "Siegfried Fisiihoi Bay of Plenty Steamers Player Profile". BoP Rugby. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- "Siegfried Fisiihoi itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- "Chiefs 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Siegfried Fisiihoi Chiefs Player Profile". Chiefs Rugby. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "From deportation to Super Rugby - dreams coming true for Siegfried Fisi'ihoi". Rugby Heaven. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Chiefs 2016 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks Rugby. Retrieved 1 November 2015.