Sione Kalamafoni
Sione Kalamafoni (born 18 May 1988) is a rugby union footballer who plays at number 8 for Scarlets. Kalamafoni played for Tonga at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[1]
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| Birth name | Sione Maake Kalamafoni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | May 18, 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Matahau, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 121 kg (19 st 1 lb; 267 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Auckland Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Kalamafoni first signed to Nottingham in the RFU Championship from the 2010/11 season.[2] On 15 March 2012, Kalamafoni would leave Nottingham to sign for Gloucester Rugby in the Aviva Premiership on a two-year contract from 2012/13 season.[3] On 14 November 2013, Kalamafoni signed a two-year contract extension with Gloucester until the end of 2015/16 season.[4]
On 1 June 2017 Leicester Tigers announced that Kalamafoni would be joining them for the 2017-18 season.[5]
On 26 March 2020, it was confirmed that Kalamafoni would sign for Welsh region Scarlets in the Pro14 ahead of the 2020-21 season.[6]
Personal life
Kalamafoni is a Mormon and undertook a two-year mission in Chicago at the age of 18.[7][8] In January 2021 he and his family became British citizens.[8]
References
- "Profile". 2011 Rugby World Cup Official Site. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- "Nottingham sign Tonga International forward Sione Kalamafoni". BBC Sport. 7 September 2010.
- "Gloucester sign Tonga International Sione Kalamafoni from Nottingham". BBC Sport. 15 March 2012.
- "Kalamafoni contract extension with Gloucester". BBC Sport. 14 November 2013.
- "Sione Kalamafoni, Dominic Ryan, Joe Ford and Jonah Holmes join Leicester Tigers". BBC. 1 June 2017.
- "Leicester Tigers back row star Sione Kalamafoni to leave for PRO14". The Rugby Paper. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- "Missionary on a mission". Fiji Sun. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "I grew up in a house with no internet. I didn't really know a whole lot about rugby". Rugby Pass. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.