Manu Vatuvei facts for kids

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Manu Vatuvei

Personal information
Full name	Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei
Born	(1986-03-04) 4 March 1986 (age 39) Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	112 kg (17 st 9 lb)
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2004–17 New Zealand Warriors 226 152 0 0 608 2017–18 Salford Red Devils 8 5 0 0 20 Total 234 157 0 0 628 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2005–15 New Zealand 29 22 0 0 88 2010–15 NRL All Stars 3 1 0 0 4 2017 Tonga 2 1 0 0 4
Relatives	Luatangi Vatuvei (cousin) Sione Vatuvei (cousin)

Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986) is a famous former professional rugby league player. He was known by his nickname "The Beast" because of his powerful playing style. Manu played for both the Tonga and New Zealand national teams. He was a winger, which is a position on the side of the field.

Manu played most of his career for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. He also played for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. A big highlight of his career was winning the 2008 Rugby League World Cup with the New Zealand team. He also holds a special record: he was the first player in NRL history to score at least 10 tries in 10 seasons in a row!

Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Manu Vatuvei was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 4, 1986. His family comes from Tonga. He grew up in a neighborhood called Ōtara, which is also where another famous rugby player, Ruben Wiki, grew up. Manu went to Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate for school.

He started playing rugby league for local teams like the Otara Scorpions and Otahuhu Leopards. Later, he played for the Otahuhu Ellerslie Leopards in a competition called the Bartercard Cup. When he was only 16 years old, Manu joined the New Zealand Warriors' special training group for young players.

NRL Career Highlights

Starting Out: 2004-2009

Manu Vatuvei made his first appearance in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors in 2004. He played his first game in Round 11 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He played five matches in his first year.

In 2005, Manu scored his first NRL try in a game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He ended that year with 9 tries in 12 matches. After the NRL season, Manu played his first international game for New Zealand against Australia. He helped New Zealand win the 2005 Rugby League Tri-Nations final by scoring two tries.

In 2006, Manu scored 10 tries in 18 matches for the Warriors. He also played for New Zealand in the 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations series. In 2007, he scored 10 tries again, making him one of the Warriors' top try-scorers.

The 2008 season was very exciting for Manu. Even though he broke his leg early in the season, he came back strong. In the last game of the regular season, he scored three tries to help the Warriors make it to the playoffs. The Warriors then surprised everyone by beating the Melbourne Storm in the first round of the finals. Manu scored a try and made a great play that led to the winning try.

Manu was chosen for the New Zealand team in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. He played amazingly well, scoring four tries in one game against England.

Vatuvei lifting the World Cup in 2008

New Zealand went on to win the World Cup, beating Australia in the final. Manu played in all five matches and scored four tries in the tournament. He was even named the International Winger of the Year for 2008.

In 2009, Manu played for New Zealand in the 2009 Anzac Test match. He finished the NRL season as the Warriors' top try-scorer with 13 tries in 19 matches.

Vatuvei playing for the Warriors in 2009

Continued Success: 2010-2017

In 2010, Manu played in the first-ever NRL All Stars match. He played his 100th NRL game in Round 13. Manu also broke Stacey Jones' record for most tries scored for the Warriors. He was the Warriors' highest try-scorer for the fourth year in a row, with 20 tries. He also played for New Zealand in the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament.

In 2011, Manu scored his 90th NRL try in the 2011 NRL Grand Final. This was his first and only Grand Final appearance, where the Warriors lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He was the Warriors' top try-scorer for the fifth year in a row, with 12 tries.

Manu played for the NRL All Stars again in 2012 and for New Zealand in the 2012 Anzac Test. He even captained the Warriors for a few games when their regular captain was injured. In 2012, Manu became the first player to score 100 tries for the New Zealand Warriors club. He was one of the Warriors' top try-scorers that year with 12 tries.

Vatuvei playing for the New Zealand Warriors in 2013

In 2013, Manu signed a new contract with the Warriors. He was the team's highest try-scorer for the seventh year in a row, with 16 tries. He also played for New Zealand in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He scored three tries in the first game against Samoa. New Zealand reached the World Cup final but lost to Australia. Manu scored four tries in the tournament.

Manu continued to be the Warriors' top try-scorer in 2014, with 17 tries. He was also part of the New Zealand team that won the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations series. In the final against Australia, Manu scored two tries. With his second try, he broke Nigel Vagana's record to become the all-time top try-scorer for the New Zealand Kiwis national team.

In 2015, Manu played his 200th NRL game for the Warriors. In that game, he scored two tries. The next week, he scored his 141st career try, passing Nigel Vagana again to become the most prolific New Zealand try-scorer in the NRL. He also played for New Zealand in the 2015 Anzac Test, where they won. In Round 14, Manu made history by becoming the first player in NRL history to score at least 10 tries in 10 seasons in a row. He finished the 2015 season with 11 tries.

In 2016, Manu scored his 150th first-grade try. He was the first New Zealander and only the 11th player ever to reach this milestone.

In 2017, Manu played for Mate Ma'a Tonga for the first time and scored a try. On July 10, 2017, Manu left the New Zealand Warriors and joined the Salford Red Devils team. His last game for the Warriors was an emotional farewell at their home stadium, which was temporarily renamed Manu Vatuvei Stadium for the match. He played eight games for Salford before an injury ended his time there.

Manu Vatuvei officially announced his retirement from rugby league on July 15, 2019.

Boxing Career

Manu Vatuvei also tried boxing. His first boxing match was in 2012. It was a special "corporate" fight to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Foundation of NZ. He fought against Olympic Gold medalist Eric Murray and won the fight.

In November 2018, Manu announced he would have his first professional boxing match against David Letele, also known as Brown Buttabean. Manu won this fight by knockout in the first round. After this fight, Manu decided to stop boxing. This was because during health checks for the match, doctors found a health issue that meant he should not continue fighting. For most of his boxing training, Manu worked with Monty Betham in Auckland, New Zealand.

Professional Boxing Record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
1	Win	1–0	David Letele	KO	1 (4), 0:28	15 December 2018	Horncastle Arena, Christchurch, New Zealand	professional debut

Personal Life

Manu Vatuvei married his wife in 2009. They have five daughters together.

Television Appearances

In 2019, Manu Vatuvei won the New Zealand version of the TV show Dancing with the Stars.