TJ Faiane (born 24 August 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a midfield back for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Blues in the international Super Rugby competition.[1][2][3][4]
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| Full name | Tinoai Faiane | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 24 August 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Saint Kentigern College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early career
editA teenage prodigy, Faiane made a big impression playing first XV rugby for Saint Kentigern College in Auckland, helping them win 3 successive 1A Championship titles.[4]
Senior career
editAged just 18, Faiane was named in the Auckland squad for the 2014 ITM Cup, and he went on to make 7 appearances for them during the season, 5 of which were from the start. Injuries ruled him out of the 2015 and 2016 seasons so he has so far been unable to add to his seven provincial caps.[2][5]
Super Rugby
editDespite missing the entire 2015 New Zealand domestic season through injury, new Blues head-coach Tana Umaga sprang a surprise ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season when he named Faiane as a member of the franchise's wider training group.[6] Once again injuries hindered him and he didn't make any appearances during the year. Despite this, he was given a full contract for the 2017 season.[3]
International
editFaiane represented New Zealand schools in 2013 and was a member of the New Zealand Under 20 squads which competed in the 2014 and 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championships, finishing in 3rd and 1st places respectively.[7][8][9][10]
Career Honours
editNew Zealand Under-20
References
edit- ^ "TJ Faiane Auckland Player Profile". Auckland Rugby. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ a b "TJ Faiane itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Blues 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ a b "TJ Faiane Blues Player Profile". Blues Rugby. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Auckland ITM Cup squad announced". Voxy.co.nz. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Blues 2016 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks Rugby. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ "TJ Faiane All Blacks Player Profile". All Blacks.com. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ "NZU20 squad named for IRB JWC2014". All Blacks.com. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "NZ Under 20 squad named for World Champs in Italy". All Blacks.com. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "2013 NZ Schools team named". All Blacks.com. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.