Tevita Vonolagi

Tevita Vonolagi (born 29 November 1963) is a Fijian former rugby union footballer, he played as wing.

Tevita Vonolagi
Date of birth (1963-11-29) November 29, 1963[1]
Place of birthFiji
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight178 lb (81 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Current team --
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988-1993 Army Rugby Club, Suva[2][3] ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988-1993 Fiji 16 (42)

Career

At club level, he played for the Fijian Armed Forces team and for the Suva District team.[4][5] He debuted for Fiji during a test match against Tonga, in Nadi, on 8 October 1988. As a player, Vonolagi was known for his extremely tough and dangerous spot tackles, which made him feared.[6] In 1989 he took part at the Fiji tour to Europe.[7] In the game on 4 November 1989 against the England at the Twickenham Stadium, in which the Fijians lost 23-58, he scored on the side and got sent off in the 52nd minute by the referee Brian Sterling due to a late tackle on Jeremy Guscott. Four minutes later, Noa Nadruku was sent off for a rough tackle on Will Carling and the Fijian coach criticised the referee's decisions.[8][9] The Daily Express described the Fijian game as "mugging the English on the mud", arguing that the Fijians eventually dragged themselves in the mud, and the referee could not limit himself to sending off both players.[10] According to former Fiji international Sairusi Naituku, the referee's decisions costed the match to the Fijians, who, after the half-time, were under a margin of 20-13. He was also part of the 1991 Rugby World Cup squad, where he played the only match against Romania. His last international cap was against Tonga, in Nuku'alofa, on 17 July 1993, won by 15-10.[11] He scored 42 points in 16 games, with 7 tries, 2 penalties and 2 drop goals. In 2002, he ended his career for the Australian rugby league team Camden Rams.[12]

Personal life

He resides in Perth.[13]

Notes
  1. Fiji 1991 Rugby World Cup squad
  2. Dale to lead Army
  3. Former national rep dies
  4. "Dale to lead Army". FijiTimes. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  5. "Former national rep dies". FijiTimes. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  6. "Fiji Coupfourpointfive: Fiji manager denies players unhappy as calls pick up for more Deacon Manu Moolo grunt". www.coupfourandahalf.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  7. "Fiji revert to winning team". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  8. "Fiji 'savages' create unwanted history". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  9. "England v Fiji: most memorable clashes". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  10. "The walk of shame". ESPN.com. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  11. "The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on July 18, 1993 · Page 88". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  12. "Tevita Vonolagi". Camden Rugby. 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  13. "Fiji Coupfourpointfive: Fiji manager denies players unhappy as calls pick up for more Deacon Manu Moolo grunt". www.coupfourandahalf.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.


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