Alesana Tuilagi facts for kids
South Africa vs Samoa at 2011 Rugby World Cup
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| Birth name | Alesana Tuilagi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 24 February 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fogapoa, Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 124 kg (273 lb; 19 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | John Cleveland College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Anitelea, Freddie, Henry, Sanele Vavae & Manu (brothers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alesana "Alex" Tuilagi (born on February 24, 1981) is a former Samoan rugby player. He is now retired from playing rugby. Alesana played many times for his country's team, Samoa. Before retiring, he played for teams like Parma in Italy, Leicester Tigers in England, and Newcastle Falcons.
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Alesana Tuilagi's Rugby Journey
Family Ties in Rugby
The Tuilagi family is very well-known in rugby, especially with the Leicester Tigers club. Alesana has five brothers who are also rugby players. His older brothers, Henry, Anitelea (Andy), and Fereti (Freddie), all played for Leicester Tigers. His younger brothers, Vavae and Manu Tuilagi, also played a game for the Tigers in 2008.
Early Career in Italy
Alesana played for the Parma team in Italy for two seasons. During the 2003–04 season, he was one of the top try scorers in the league. He scored 12 tries that season. He helped Parma reach the semi-finals in their local competition and the Parker Pen Shield. Alesana first played for Samoa in June 2002. This was a qualifying game for the 2003 Rugby World Cup against Fiji.
Playing for Leicester Tigers
Alesana joined the Leicester Tigers and had a great time there. In the 2010–11 season, he was the top try-scorer for his club. He also scored the most tries in the 2010–11 Aviva Premiership league. He scored 17 tries in total that season. This included 13 tries in the Premiership, like the winning try in the semi-final against Northampton Saints. He also scored three tries in one game against Gloucester.
Alesana often played alongside his younger brother Manu at Leicester. He even played against his older brother Henry in a European Cup game. Alesana was a key player for the Tigers. He played in eight of their nine finals between 2006 and 2007. He was named "Man of the Match" in the 2006–07 Premiership Final. In that game, he scored two tries to help Leicester win against Gloucester. He also played in the 2010 final when Leicester beat Saracens. Fans also voted him "Supporters' Player of the Year" in the same season.
International Games for Samoa
Alesana was part of the Samoan squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. He played in all four of Samoa's group games. He scored three tries in one match against Namibia.
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Historic Win for Samoa
Alesana was part of the Samoan team that made history on July 17, 2011. They beat Australia 32–23 in a test match held in Sydney. Alesana scored the first try in that game. Samoa scored four tries in total, while Australia scored two. In June 2013, Alesana was again called to join the Samoan squad. This was for a tour to South Africa and the 2013 Pacific Cup.
Moving to Other Clubs
After playing for Leicester for eight years, Alesana left the club after the 2011–12 Aviva Premiership season. He then joined the NTT Communications Shining Arcs team in Japan's Top League. On May 8, 2014, Alesana returned to England. He signed a two-year contract with Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership. There, he played again with his brother Anitelea Tuilagi.
Personal Life
Alesana Tuilagi has five brothers: Henry, Anitelea (Andy), Fereti (Freddie), Vavae, and Manu Tuilagi. All of them are rugby players. Alesana and his brother Manu are both Catholic.
