Francis Meli facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Francis Meli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 April 1979 Apia, Western Samoa |
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Playing information
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| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Francis Meli, born on April 27, 1979, is a former professional rugby league player. He played for many years, from the 1990s to the 2010s. Francis represented both Samoa and New Zealand in international games. He was known for playing as a centre or winger. In New Zealand, he played for the New Zealand Warriors. Later, he moved to England to play for St Helens and Salford in the Super League.
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Early Life and Rugby League Start
Francis Meli was born in Apia, Samoa, on April 27, 1979. He grew up in Titirangi, a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. Francis started playing rugby league when he was just nine years old. His first team was the Avondale Wolves. Later, he joined City Marist and played for the Marist Saints in the Auckland Rugby League.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for the New Zealand Warriors
Francis Meli was signed by the Auckland Warriors, which are now known as the New Zealand Warriors. He played his very first game in the NRL on May 2, 1999, against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He also played some games for Brisbane Souths in the Queensland Cup.
In 2002, Meli played on the wing for the Warriors in the 2002 NRL Grand Final. They sadly lost that game to the Sydney Roosters. After the season, he was chosen to tour Great Britain and France with the New Zealand team. He played in five international matches and scored four tries.
Meli had an amazing year in the 2003 NRL season. He scored a club record of 23 tries for the Warriors. Five of those tries came in one special finals game against the Canterbury Bulldogs. This is still a record for tries in a finals game! He played his 50th game for the club in April 2003. His 100th game was against the Wests Tigers in April 2005. He was even named the New Zealand Warriors’ Player of the Year in 2003.
Time with St Helens
At the start of 2006, Francis Meli moved to England to join St Helens. He played on the wing when St Helens won the 2006 Challenge Cup Final against the Huddersfield Giants.
St Helens also made it to the 2006 Super League Grand final that year. Meli played on the wing and scored a try in their big 26-4 win against Hull FC.
Because St Helens won the Super League in 2006, they got to play against the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos were the NRL champions from Australia. This game was called the 2007 World Club Challenge. Meli played on the wing and helped St Helens win 18-14.
In his first three years with St Helens, he won three Challenge Cups. He also won a World Club Challenge and a Grand Final. He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final, but St Helens lost to the Leeds Rhinos. He also played in the 2009 Super League Grand Final and the 2011 Super League Grand Final, both of which St Helens lost to the Leeds Rhinos.
Playing for Salford Red Devils
For the 2014 season, Meli played for another Super League team, the Salford Red Devils. He signed a one-year contract with them. Francis Meli retired from playing rugby league at the end of the 2014 season.
International Career
Representing Samoa
Francis Meli played for the Samoa in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. He later returned to play for Samoa in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Meli was also part of the Samoan team for the 2009 Pacific Cup.
Playing for New Zealand
In 2001, Meli switched to play for the New Zealand team. He played in 14 international matches for New Zealand between 2001 and 2004.
In 2004, Meli was chosen to play on the wing for New Zealand in the 2004 Anzac Test against Australia. New Zealand lost that game. At the end of that year, he also played for New Zealand in all four of their games in the 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament.
Playing for the Exiles
Francis Meli was chosen to play for the Exiles. This team is made up of top players from other countries who play in the Super League. He played on the wing against England and scored a try in the Exiles' 16-12 win. Francis was chosen again for the Exiles. He scored another try in Game 1 against England. In Game 2, he scored two tries and helped the Exiles win 32-20, keeping the International Origin trophy.
Life After Rugby
After retiring from playing rugby, Francis Meli has continued to help others. He works as a child case manager with the New Zealand Police. In 2022, he also joined a TV show called Match Fit as a player. He also helps the group as a mental health coach. Francis is married and has three daughters.
