'Aisea Havili Kaufusi (born 11 March 1977) is a Tongan rugby union footballer, who currently played most recently as a winger for the Cornish Pirates in National Division One as well as for the Tonga national team.
| Birth name | 'Aisea Havili Kaufusi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | March 11, 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ha'ateiho, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 3 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Four | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club career edit
Havili began his rugby career in his home country of Tonga, before eventually moving to Wales to play for Bridgend.[1] Upon the advent of regional rugby in Wales in 2003, he joined the Celtic Warriors, whom he played for until they were disbanded in 2004. He was picked up by the Llanelli Scarlets soon afterwards and became the top try scorer in his first season in West Wales
However, in 2005, Worcester showed an interest in Havili and he was released from his contract after just one year with the Scarlets so that he could sign for the West Midlands club. Havili's first season at Worcester went well, scoring a total of ten tries in just 16 appearances.
After not making a single appearance in the 2007–08 season, it was announced in May 2008 that Havili would be leaving Worcester Warriors to sign for National Division One side Cornish Pirates.[2]
Havili provided Cornish Pirates with an alternative style of winger. His physical presence set him apart from most backs within the squad. Perhaps his most noticeable performance came against Plymouth Albion the league in December 2009 where he his try help complete a 46–7 win.
At the end of the 09/10 season Havili left the Cornish Pirates before returning to Tonga.
International career edit
Havili has had an erratic international career, having earned only nine caps for the Tonga national team. He was selected for the Tonga 2003 Rugby World Cup squad, but pulled out after being told that he would have to pay his own way to Australia to join up with the rest of the squad.[3] Havili was, however, still selected for the 2007 World Cup.
References edit
- ^ "Profile: Aisea Havili". CelticWarriors.tk. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
- ^ "Pirates sign Havili from Warriors". BBC Sport. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "Havili snubs Tonga". BBC Sport. 10 September 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
External links edit
- Profile at WRFC.co.uk