Nemani Nadolo facts for kids
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Nadolo with Montpellier
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| Full name | Ratu Nemani Driu Nasiganiyavi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 January 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sigatoka, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 137 kg (21 st 8 lb; 302 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Joseph's College, Nudgee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nemani Nadolo (born 31 January 1988) is a former Fijian-Australian rugby union player. He played as a wing or centre. Nemani played for the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He also played for the Fiji national team.
Nadolo was the top try scorer in the 2014 Super Rugby season while playing for the Crusaders. He scored a try in both the semi-final and the final. He is known for being very fast and strong. He sometimes kicked goals for his team. He played 30 games for Fiji between 2010 and 2019. He also played for teams like Leicester Tigers in England, Montpellier in France, and NEC Green Rockets in Japan.
Contents
Family and Early Life
Nemani Nadolo was born as Ratu Nemani Driu Nasiganiyavi in Sigatoka, Fiji. When he was three months old, his family moved to Brisbane, Australia. His father, Isei Nasiganiyavi, played rugby for Queensland in the 1980s.
In 2009, Nemani changed his name to Nemani Nadolo. He chose to use his mother's maiden name.
Nadolo went to Nudgee College. In 2005, he was chosen for the Queensland Schoolboys rugby team. He has two younger brothers, Chris Kuridrani and Inosi Nadolo. He is also a cousin to other rugby players like Tevita Kuridrani and Lote Tuqiri.
Rugby Career Highlights
Starting Out in Rugby
Nemani Nadolo first played for Perth Spirit in 2007. Then he moved to play for Randwick in 2008. He quickly became a star player for Randwick, scoring 13 tries in his first 7 games.
He was also picked for the Australian Under 20 team in 2008. He scored 7 tries in 5 games, making him the top try scorer in that tournament. His strong running and try-scoring skills helped him get a Super 14 contract with the Waratahs.
When he joined the Waratahs in 2008, people compared him to the famous player Jonah Lomu. This was because of his size and playing style. He was known to run 100 metres in under 11 seconds. He played his first game for the Junior Waratahs in Fiji, close to his mother's village.
Playing in Europe
In 2010, Nadolo signed with the French team Bourgoin-Jallieu. In January 2011, he moved to England to play for Exeter Chiefs. His time at Exeter was short and ended early. He then left the club.
Playing in Japan
After his time in England, Nadolo played for the NEC Green Rockets in Japan. He played for them in the Japan Top League from 2011 to 2013.
Super Rugby Success
In October 2013, Nadolo signed to play for the Crusaders in the 2014 Super Rugby season. He made his Super Rugby debut in March 2014 against the Melbourne Rebels. In his first season, he played 14 games and was the joint top try scorer with 12 tries.
He scored a try in both the semi-final and the final. However, his Crusaders team lost the final to his old team, the Waratahs, by a score of 33–32. In August 2014, Nadolo signed to stay with the Crusaders for two more seasons.
On May 4, 2022, the Waratahs announced that Nadolo would be joining them again for the 2023 season. This was 12 years after he had left the team.
Playing in France and England
In November 2015, Nadolo signed a three-year deal with the French team Montpellier. He played for them until the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season.
In March 2020, it was announced that Nadolo would join the English team Leicester Tigers. He made his first game for them on August 26, 2020. He played well in a 13-7 win against London Irish. On October 30, 2021, Nadolo scored two tries in a big game against Northampton Saints.
Nadolo left the Tigers before the end of the 2022–23 season. He returned to Australia to play for the NSW Waratahs again in 2023.
International Career for Fiji
Nadolo played his first international game for Fiji in 2010. This was against Australia. He also played in the 2010 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.
In June 2014, Nadolo played for Fiji against Italy. He played a key role, scoring 13 points, including a try. A week later, he scored 20 points against Tonga, including a try and several kicks. He also scored a try against Samoa, but Fiji lost that close game.
In his last game for Fiji in June 2014, against the Cook Islands, he scored three tries. This made him equal the record for scoring 10 tries in consecutive matches, a record held by Christian Cullen and John Kirwan.
Nadolo played for Fiji again in 2015 against the Māori All Blacks. He scored a try but got injured. Despite this, he was chosen for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He played in a warm-up game against Canada, where he kicked 5 conversions and 4 penalties. He scored a try against England in the first match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Nemani Nadolo decided to retire from international rugby a few months before the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He stayed with his club team, Montpellier, during that time.
After Playing Rugby
After the 2023 Super Rugby season, Nadolo decided not to play for the Waratahs anymore. Since then, he has worked as an HR Manager. He also started his own Jim's Mowing business in Sydney and Melbourne. Currently, he works as a Business Development Manager and also as a commentator for the Fijian Drua rugby team.
See also
In Spanish: Nemani Nadolo para niños
