Alama Ieremia facts for kids
| Full name | Namulauulu Alama Ieremia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 27 October 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Apia, Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb; 15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Samoa College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Namulauulu Alama Ieremia, born on October 27, 1970, is a well-known rugby union coach and former player. He played for both Western Samoa and New Zealand during his international career.
Contents
Early Life and Rugby Beginnings
Alama Ieremia was born in Sinamoga, a suburb of Apia, Samoa. He went to school in Samoa and also attended Addington Primary School in Christchurch, New Zealand. Later, he studied at Samoa College. In 1991, he moved back to New Zealand to study geography at Victoria University. This is where he started playing rugby.
Playing Career Highlights
Ieremia played for Wellington in the provincial rugby league from 1992 to 2000. In his last season with Wellington, his team won the National Provincial Championship title.
Super Rugby with the Hurricanes
He also played Super Rugby for the Hurricanes. He was part of the team from their very first season in 1996. Alama made history by scoring the first-ever try in Super Rugby. This happened against the Auckland Blues in Palmerston North.
His best season with the Hurricanes was in 1997. The team reached the semi-finals after finishing third in the regular season. Ieremia was a regular player for the Hurricanes. He formed a strong partnership with Jason O'Halloran in the midfield.
Playing in Japan
In 2001, Ieremia moved to Japan to play for Suntory Sungoliath. He even served as captain for one season. He retired from playing rugby in 2004 and returned to New Zealand.
International Rugby Journey
Ieremia started his international rugby career in 1992 with the Western Samoa national team. His first game was on June 13 against Tonga at Apia Park, which Western Samoa won 22–17. He played 5 games for Western Samoa. His last game for them was against the All Blacks in 1993.
Joining the All Blacks
Because rugby rules were different before it became a professional sport, Ieremia was able to play for the All Blacks in 1994. He joined the All Blacks quickly after they had a surprising loss to France. He played in three test matches against the Springboks.
Ieremia was chosen for the All Blacks squad for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He played in one pool match against Japan, where he scored his first international try. He became a regular player for the All Blacks in 1997.
He missed the 1998 season due to an injury. However, he returned in 1999 and played in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. By the end of the 2000 season, Ieremia had played 40 matches for the All Blacks, including 30 test matches.
Playing Style
Alama Ieremia was known for being a strong and fast runner. He was also a powerful defender. He had good skills and a solid kick. When he was healthy, he was one of the most consistent midfield players in New Zealand rugby.
Rugby Sevens
Ieremia also played rugby sevens, which is a faster version of rugby with fewer players. He represented Western Samoa in the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Later, he played for New Zealand in the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Achievements and Awards
- Rugby World Cup / Webb Ellis Cup
- Runners-up: 1995
- Bledisloe Cup
- Winners: 1997
- Tri Nations
- Winners: 1996, 1997, 1999
- Runners-up: 2000
Western Samoa
- South Pacific Championship
- Winners: 1992, 1993
Wellington
- National Provincial Championship
- Winners: 2000
Coaching Career
After finishing his playing career in 2004, Ieremia became a coach for Suntory Sungoliath in Japan. He focused on coaching the backs and attack. After two seasons, he returned to New Zealand in 2007.
Coaching in New Zealand
He became an assistant coach for the Wellington Lions. He helped Wellington reach their second final in a row. He was also named the head coach for the WRFU Academy.
In 2008, Alama Ieremia joined the Hurricanes coaching team. He was the first former player to become part of the team's coaching staff. As attack coach, he helped the Hurricanes score more points than any other team in 2009. He continued coaching the Hurricanes until 2014.
Coaching Samoa
In 2014, Ieremia joined the Samoan national team as an attack coach. In February 2015, he became the interim general manager for Samoan rugby's high performance unit.
Head Coach of Manu Samoa
On December 23, 2015, he was named the head coach of the Manu Samoa team. In his first game as head coach, Samoa had a 19-all draw against Georgia. He led Samoa to a victory over Tonga in the 2016 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.
During the 2016 end-of-year international games, Samoa won one match against Canada. In 2017, Samoa lost all four of their mid-year international games. This included a big loss to New Zealand. Samoa also finished last in the 2017 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.
After a review, Ieremia resigned as Samoan head coach on August 5, 2017. He had a 20% win rate during his time as head coach.
Auckland Coach
In December 2017, he was appointed head coach for the Auckland Rugby Union.
Coaching Achievements
Samoa (as assistant coach)
- IRB Pacific Nations Cup
- Winners: 2014 (joint with Japan)
- Runners-up: 2015
Wellington (as assistant coach)
- National Provincial Championship
- Runners-up: 2007
