Sitaleki Timani facts for kids
Timani playing for the Brumbies
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| Birth name | Sitaleki Timani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 September 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kolonga, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (18.6 st; 260 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sitaleki Timani (born 19 September 1986) is a professional rugby union player. He was born in Tonga and later became an Australian citizen. Sitaleki plays as a lock, which is a forward position in rugby. He made his first appearance for the Wallabies, Australia's national team, in 2011. Sitaleki has played for many top clubs in France and Australia. He currently plays for RC Toulonnais in France.
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Early Life and Family
Sitaleki Timani grew up in a village called Kolonga in Tonga. He comes from a family of rugby players. His brothers, Sione and Lopeti, also play rugby at an international level.
When he was younger, Sitaleki played soccer. He started playing rugby union after he went to Tonga College 'Atele. In 2003, he was chosen for the Tongan Schoolboys rugby team. This led to him getting a scholarship to study at Auckland Grammar School in New Zealand.
At 19, Sitaleki moved to Australia. There, he tried a different type of rugby called rugby league. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2006 and 2007.
Rugby Union Career
In August 2007, Sitaleki Timani returned to playing rugby union. He joined the Perth Spirit team in Australia. He played in all 8 matches for them that season as a starting lock. The next year, in 2008, he played his first Super Rugby game for the Western Force. He played against the Sharks in South Africa.
After playing only a few games for Western Force, he moved to the Brumbies team in 2009. He played most of the Super Rugby season with them. However, he did not play any games in 2010.
Playing for the Wallabies
Sitaleki then joined the NSW Waratahs team. He earned a regular spot in their starting lineup in 2011. At this time, he could choose to play for either Tonga (because he was born there) or Australia (because he lived there). He chose to play for Australia. He was then selected for the Wallabies. His first game for Australia was on 17 July 2011, against Samoa in Sydney.
Because he chose to play for Australia, he could no longer play for the Tonga team. This decision likely meant he missed out on playing in the Rugby World Cup that year. He was not chosen for Australia's World Cup team, but he probably would have been selected for Tonga if he had been eligible.
Playing in France
In 2013, Sitaleki signed a three-year contract to play for Montpellier, a team in France. He joined them after touring with the Wallabies at the end of 2013. He continued his career in France's Top 14 league. He played for another team, Clermont, from 2016 for four years.
Return to Australia
In 2021, Sitaleki Timani came back to Australia. He rejoined the Western Force team to play in the Super Rugby AU competition.
Personal Life
Sitaleki Timani married Angela Kelava on 15 December 2012. They had been together for three years before they got married.
