- Manu Vatuvei
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Manu Vatuvei 
Vatuvei at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Personal information Nickname The Beast,[1] The Man Born 4 March 1986
Auckland, New ZealandHeight 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) Weight 112 kg (17 st 9 lb) Playing information Position Wing Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2004– NZ Warriors 126 89 0 0 356 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2005–2010 New Zealand 18 11 0 0 44 2010 NRL All Stars 1 0 0 0 0 As of 14 June 2011 Source: Warriors NRL Team, [1] Manu Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986) is a New Zealand rugby league player for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition. His position of choice is on the wing. He is the cousin of Japanese Rugby Union player Ruatangi Vatuvei. Vatuvei was a member of the New Zealand Kiwis squad that won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Manu weighs 112 kg and stands at 189 cm tall. On Tuesday, 24 August it was announced that Vatuvei had extended his contract with the Warriors to the end of the 2013 season.
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Early years
Manu Vatuvei or is heritage name Jayden Nolan, was born in New Zealand and is of Tongan heritage.[2] He grew up in the same Otara neighbourhood as Ruben Wiki and attended Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate. He played for the Otara Scorpions and Otahuhu Leopards in Auckland Rugby League competitions before playing for the Otahuhu Ellerslie Leopards in the Bartercard Cup. When he was only 16 he joined the New Zealand Warriors development squad.[3]
New Zealand Warriors
Vatuvei made his debut for the Warriors in Round 11, 2004 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Vatuvei made his international debut against the Kangaroos on the 16 October 2005. It was the opening game of the 2005 Tri-Nations, where the Kiwis beat the Kangaroos at Telstra Stadium. He later went on to play in the Tri-Nations final, scoring two tries on the way to a 24–0 victory over the Kangaroos.
In 2008 Vatuvei had his most consistent season to date, playing well and being a major strike-weapon for the Warriors. At times with his combination of pace and strength, only injury could stop him – and stop him it did, Vatuvei suffered a broken leg on 27 April.[4]
He however returned from injury to be a major force in the Warriors push for the playoffs. With the Warriors in an away, last round, do-or-die match against Parramatta Eels where they needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, Vatuvei scored a hat-trick of tries and was dominant in the high kicks, as the Warriors convincingly won 28–6 to qualify in 8th spot and book a match against minor premiers Melbourne Storm.
The match against the Eels was a huge confidence booster for Vatuvei due to the fact that the last time he played at this venue (2007) he dropped many high kick bombs which led to tries and a 6–30 Warriors loss. With this new found confidence and self-belief he had everything to gain in the match against the Storm, the reigning premiers.
Vatuvei turned on one of the best performances of his career as on the 14 September 2008 he played a huge role in the upset of minor premiers Melbourne Storm winning 18–15 at Olympic Park (where the Storm had only lost twice in three seasons). He scored one of the Warriors three tries and was denied another by a forward pass ruling. With the Warriors trailing 15–14 in the 78th minute, he received an offload from Jerome Ropati and busted several tackles over a run of 40m before passing to Michael Witt who sprinted 20m to score the match-winning try.
Vatuvei scored another try in the Warriors 30–13 elimination semi-final victory over the Sydney Roosters, a game that qualified the Warriors for the preliminary final against the Manly Sea Eagles.
Vatuvei was named in the New Zealand squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Vatuvei went on to star in the tournament, breaking New Zealand's World Cup record for most tries in a match with four against England. He went on to play in the first New Zealand team to win the World Cup, defeating Australia in the final.[5] Vatuvei's efforts were recognized as he was named International Winger of the year in 2008.[6]
The Warriors failed to make the finals of the 2009 NRL Premiership, but Vatuvei finished the season as the club's top try-scorer.
In 2010 he announced that he had extended his Warriors contract until the end of the 2013 season.[7]
He has also now surpassed Stacey Jones' top try record of 77, Manu Vatuvei (The Beast) scored his 78 try against the Titans on the 10 of September 2010 in the first play-off's match
References
- ^ Lawton, Aaron (2010-05-16). "'The Beast' Manu on NFL radar". Stuff.co.nz. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/3703320/The-Beast-Manu-Vatuvei-on-NFL-radar. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ Massoud, Josh (2008-01-16). "Samoa, Tonga reach out to stars". Fox Sports. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23059606-23214,00.html. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ Hewitson, Michele (27 March 2010). "Michele Hewitson Interview: Manu Vatuvei". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10634585&ref=rss. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Manu Vatuvei breaks leg The Herald Sun, 27 April 2008
- ^ "Kiwis to wait on Webb and Matai". BBC. 7 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7656238.stm. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- ^ "Vatuvei international winger of the year". Television New Zealand. NZPA. 18 November 2008. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2314966. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Lawton, Aaron (24 August 2010). "Manu Vatuvei re-signs with NZ Warriors". Sunday News. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/4056006/Manu-Vatuvei-re-signs-with-NZ-Warriors. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
External links
New Zealand Warriors – Current squad New Zealand – 2008 Rugby League World Cup Champions (1st Title) New Zealand – 2005 Tri-Nations Champions (1st Title) Categories:- 1986 births
- New Zealand people of Tongan descent
- People from Auckland
- New Zealand national rugby league team players
- New Zealand rugby league players
- Otahuhu Leopards players
- Otara Scorpions players
- New Zealand Warriors players
- NRL All Stars players
- Living people
- Rugby league wingers
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