Lesley Vainikolo facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Born | Lesley Paea 'I'muli Vainikolo 4 May 1979 Nukuʻalofa, Tonga |
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| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (17 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby career
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Lesley Paea 'I'muli Vainikolo, born on 4 May 1979, is a former professional rugby player. He is famous for playing both rugby league and rugby union at an international level. This means he played for his country in both sports.
He started his career in rugby league in Australia with the Canberra Raiders. Later, he moved to England to play for the Bradford Bulls. After that, he switched to rugby union and joined the English club Gloucester. In both sports, he usually played as a wing, which is a fast-paced position on the field.
Contents
Lesley Vainikolo: Rugby Star
Early Life and Rugby Start
Lesley Vainikolo was born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, on May 4, 1979. In 1986, his family moved to Mangere, Auckland, in New Zealand. He grew up in South Auckland and first played rugby union.
When he was 11, a friend invited him to play rugby league because their team needed players. Lesley already knew the basic skills from playing rugby union. He loved the game right away and has been hooked ever since. He played for the Mangere East Hawks in Auckland. In 1997, he represented Auckland and played for the Junior Kiwis in 1998.
Lesley went to De La Salle College, Mangere East. He still holds the school record for the 100-meter sprint, finishing in 10.90 seconds. He even ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds to qualify for the 1998 World Junior Athletics Championships.
Rugby League Career
Playing for Canberra Raiders
When Lesley was younger, his rugby league heroes were Allan Langer and Mal Meninga. So, when Mal Meninga called him to join the Canberra Raiders, Lesley didn't hesitate. In 1998, Lesley started his professional rugby league career with the Canberra Raiders. They played in Australia's National Rugby League competition.
In his first year, he was named the Canberra Raiders' rookie of the year. While playing for the Raiders, a commentator named Peter Sterling nicknamed him 'The Volcano'. Sterling found Lesley's last name hard to say, so he shortened it. The nickname stuck, and Lesley has been called 'The Volcano' ever since.
In 1999, Lesley was chosen to play for the New Zealand team. They competed in the 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. He played on the wing in the final game, where New Zealand narrowly lost to Australia 22–20.
Playing for Bradford Bulls
Lesley joined the Bradford Bulls in England and made his first appearance in 2002. This was during the 2002 World Club Challenge, where the Bulls played against the Newcastle Knights. He scored a try on the wing, helping Bradford win. His first season in 2002 was tough due to injuries, but he still scored 13 tries.
In 2002, he played for Bradford in the 2002 Super League Grand Final, where they lost to St. Helens. In his second season, he scored 28 tries. He then helped Bradford win the 2003 Super League Grand Final against the Wigan Warriors.
In 2004, Bradford played the Penrith Panthers in the 2004 World Club Challenge. Lesley scored a try, helping the Bulls win 22–4. That same year, he broke the Super League record for tries, scoring 36 tries in just 26 games. This included five games where he scored three or more tries! He also played in the 2004 Super League Grand Final, where Bradford lost to the Leeds Rhinos.
Even with more injuries in 2005, Lesley scored 34 tries. He decided to stay with the Bradford Bulls until 2009, even though he had a big offer from a rugby union club. His coach, Brian Noble, said keeping Lesley was a big deal for the sport. By the end of 2005, Lesley had scored 112 tries in 105 games for the Bulls. He helped them win the 2005 Super League Grand Final against the Leeds Rhinos.
In 2006, Bradford faced the Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Lesley played on the wing as the Bulls won 30–10. On May 15, 2007, it was announced that Lesley would leave the Bulls to join Gloucester, a rugby union team. He thanked his teammates, staff, and fans, saying Bradford was his home.
His last game at Odsal was on June 17, 2007. He even got to convert a try, which means he kicked the ball through the posts for two extra points. This was his first and only goal for the Bradford Bulls. His final Super League game was against the Leeds Rhinos on June 29, 2007. He scored the first try in a 38–14 win. He finished his Bradford Bulls career with 152 games, 149 tries, and 1 goal. In August 2007, he was named in Bradford's "Team of the Century."
International Rugby League
Lesley first played internationally for New Zealand in 1998. He scored 14 tries in 12 games for his country. This included an amazing nine tries in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. Unfortunately, injuries kept him from playing in the 2005 and 2006 Tri-Nations series. He also had major knee surgeries.
Rugby Union Career
Playing for Gloucester Rugby
In 2007, Lesley signed a three-year contract with Gloucester Rugby, a top rugby union team. Gloucester's coach, Dean Ryan, was very happy to have him. Lesley was the fourth player from Bradford Bulls to switch to rugby union in six years.
Lesley had an amazing debut for Gloucester on September 16, 2007, scoring five tries against Leeds Carnegie. He finished the 2007-08 season as one of the top try-scorers with 9 tries.
Playing in France
After leaving Gloucester Rugby at the end of the 2011/2012 season, Lesley joined the French team La Rochelle. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. By 2013, Lesley had left La Rochelle. He then played for Rugby Athletic Club Angerien in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, France. This team competes in Federale 1, which is the third-highest rugby competition in France.
Playing for the Barbarians
Lesley was also chosen to play for the Barbarians squad. This is a special invitational team made up of top players from around the world. He played two matches for them, scoring a try in one game in Brussels.
International Rugby Union
While still playing rugby league, Lesley played rugby sevens for Tonga at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. As a rugby union player, Lesley could play for Tonga (where he was born), New Zealand (because of his parents), or England (because he lived there). He got a British passport and was chosen for the English squad in 2008.
He made his debut for England against Wales on February 2, 2008. He also played against Italy, France, Scotland, and Ireland in the Six Nations Championship. In total, he played five test matches for England but did not score any tries. He was later not selected for future England teams.
Match Fit Journey
In 2022, Lesley joined the Kiwis alumni team for the season 2 finale of Match Fit. This TV show features former rugby players getting back in shape. In 2023, he took part in season 3 of Match Fit, where former rugby players compete against Australian counterparts. This was the first season to include former rugby league stars.
Lesley shared some personal stories on the show. He revealed that his brother passed away from a heart attack. His father has diabetes and asthma, and his mother died two years ago from diabetes complications. He also shared that his wife, Sienna, was battling cancer but recovered two months later. Lesley has a 14-year-old son named Kava. In one episode, he scored three tries in a beach rugby game against former All Blacks players.
In 2024, Lesley returned for Match Fit: Union vs. League. He represented the League team, even though he played both sports professionally. He shared that he now works at Wesley College as the Director of Rugby and a teacher's aide. He also works as a dorm parent at night.
During the show, some players had great results for their "metabolic age" compared to their actual age. Lesley, along with Clinton Toopi and Henry Fa'afili, started with the worst possible result. However, Lesley showed great fitness and strength. He was able to control the pace on a ski-erg machine and even "destroyed" them with his power. Because he made the most improvements in the league team and is a dual-code international player, he was named the League captain for the final match.
