Enele "Henry" Tuilagi (born 12 August 1976) is a Samoan former professional rugby union player who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He appeared ten times for the Samoa national team and played club rugby in Italy, France and England.
| Date of birth | 12 August 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Fogapoa, Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 138 kg (21 st 10 lb) (304 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Anitelea Tuilagi (brother) Freddie Tuilagi (brother) Alesana Tuilagi (brother) Sanele Vavae Tuilagi (brother) Manu Tuilagi (brother) Posolo Tuilagi (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In 2002, Tuilagi spent a year playing in the Italian Super 10 competition for Parma, where his younger brother Alesana had joined him. He appeared for Parma against London Wasps at High Wycombe in the first round of the European Challenge Cup, and then at Caerphilly in the quarter final of the same competition in January 2003. The number 8 was first included in the Samoa squad for the 2000 Pacific Rim Championship, but had to wait another two years for his test debut against Fiji in Apia, Samoa in June 2002. Both Fereti and Alesana joined him in the international team later in the month, when the three brothers played together in the World Cup qualifier against Fiji at Nadi.
Tuilagi made 24 first team appearances during his first season with the Leicester Tigers. He scored a try on his debut match against London Irish. His next season was cut short with a broken leg in the final home game against the London Wasps. He then broke his arm the next year when playing against Northampton.[1]
The Tuilagi family have strong connections with Leicester Tigers;[2][3] Henry's brother Alesana (Alex) played for Leicester before moving to play in Japan, and his brothers Fereti (Freddie), Anitelea (Andy), Manu and Sanele Vavae Tuilagi are former players.
In 2007 Tuilagi moved to France to play for Perpignan in the Top 14.[4] His son Posolo Tuilagi (born 2004) also joined Perpignan in 2022.[5]
In July 2020 following the death of French player Franck Lascassies, Tuilagi went public about his battle with depression.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Tuilagi injury blow for Leicester". BBC Sport. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Hugh Godwin (16 May 2015). "Meet the Tuilagis - a brotherhood of Tigers". The Independent. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Robert kitson (17 December 2010). "A family affair as Tuilagi brothers prepare for head-on collision". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Rugby: Samoa's Tuilagi leaves Tigers for Perpignan". New Zealand Herald. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "USAP : 18 ans, 1,92 m, 145 kg, Posolo, le fils Tuilagi débarque en Top 14". L'Indépendant. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ Mata'afa Keni Lesa (6 July 2020). "Henry Tuilagi reveals battle with depression, encourages openness". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
External links
edit- USAP profile on fr.usap.fr (fr)
- Henry Tuilagi on tigers.co.uk
- Manu Samoa supporters website
- Pacific Islanders Rugby Teams supporters website