Sitaleki Timani (born 19 September 1986), is a Tongan-born, Australian professional rugby union footballer. He made his test debut for the Wallabies in 2011. His usual position is lock. Timani's professional club career spanned eight seasons of Top 14 in France and seven seasons of Super Rugby in Australia. He currently plays for the RC Toulonnais in the Top 14.
 Sitaleki Timani playing for the Brumbies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Sitaleki Timani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 September 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kolonga, Tonga[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (18.6 st; 260 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Family and early life
editSitaleki Timani was born in the Tongan village of Kolonga. His brothers Sione and Lopeti are both international rugby players.[3]
Timani played soccer until he attended Tonga College 'Atele and was introduced to rugby union. He was selected for the Tongan Schoolboys rugby team in 2003, and won a scholarship to attend Auckland Grammar School in New Zealand.[1]
He moved to Australia at the age of 19 and switched codes, playing rugby league for Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL's Jersey Flegg competition in 2006, and in NSW Premier League in 2007.[1]
Rugby union career
editIn August 2007, Timani returned to rugby union, playing for Perth Spirit in the Australian Rugby Championship.[4] He was selected for all Perth Spirit matches for the season, and played 8 times as starting lock. The team finished third on the ARC ladder, but lost their semi-final to the eventual champion team, the Central Coast Rays.[5] The following year, Timani made his Super Rugby debut for the Western Force against the Sharks on 15 February 2008 in Durban, although he only made 3 appearances for the franchise during the season. He moved to the Brumbies in 2009 and played most of the Super Rugby season, but then fell from favour and did not get any game time in 2010.[6]
Timani then took up a development contract with the NSW Waratahs, and won a regular starting position in the 2011 season. At that time, he was eligible to play for both Tonga (by birth) and Australia (by residency). He chose Australia and was selected by the Wallabies, playing against Samoa at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 17 July 2011.[1]
His decision to play for Australia meant he became ineligible to play for Tonga[7] and it probably cost him an appearance at the Rugby World Cup later that year. He was not selected in the Australian squad for the 2011 tournament but probably would have been selected for Tonga, if eligible.[6]
In 2013, he signed a three-year deal with French side, Montpellier.[8] Timani joined the club after travelling with the Wallabies on their 2013 end-of-year tour. He continued his career in the French Top 14 for another four years with Clermont from 2016.[9]
Timani returned to Australia in 2021, rejoining the Western Force to play in the Super Rugby AU competition.[9]
Personal life
editOn 15 December 2012, Sitaleki married Angela (née Kelava), whom he had been dating for three years.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Harris, Bret (29 January 2009). "Brumbies giant runs with Stuart in mind". The Australian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Sitaleki Timani". ASM Rugby. 2017. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ "2012 Extended Playing Squad announced". nswrugby.com.au. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Spirit name five Wallabies for ARC debut". Sports Australia. 7 August 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ "Mulvihill disappointed in result but pleased with season". Rugby.com.au. 7 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Sitaleki Timani player profile". ARU. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ Under IRB regulations, a player becomes permanently committed to a nation upon his first presence in a matchday squad with the country's full national team, "A" national team, or sevens national team. "Regulation 8: Eligibility to Play for National Representative Teams" (PDF). Regulations Relating to the Game. International Rugby Board. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2011. See especially Regulations 8.1 through 8.4.
- ^ Robinson, Georgina (5 April 2013). "Timani gets up to speed for Tahs before flight to France". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Western Force sign former Wallabies lock Sitaleki Timani". ESPN. 8 March 2021.
External links
edit- Club stats on It's Rugby
- ARU Player Profile
- Waratahs Profile