Sona Taumalolo facts for kids
France vs Tonga during 2011 Rugby World Cup
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Faka'ānaua ki 'Alisona Taumalolo, also known as Arizona Taumalolo or Sona Tafuna (former nickname) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 November 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ha'akame, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (17 st 9 lb; 247 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Tupou College, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Ben Tameifuna (nephew) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sona Taumalolo (born 13 November 1981) is a former professional rugby union player. He played as a prop, which is a forward position in rugby. Sona played for teams like Hawke's Bay in New Zealand, the Chiefs in Super Rugby, and several clubs in France. He also proudly represented his home country, the Tonga national team. He stopped playing professionally at the end of the 2020 season.
Contents
Sona Taumalolo's Early Life
Sona Taumalolo was born in Tonga. He went to Tupou College there. In 2001, he moved to New Zealand. His nephew, Ben Tameifuna, is also a rugby player who has represented Tonga.
Sona's Club Rugby Journey
Playing for Hawke's Bay
Sona started his senior rugby career in 2005. He joined the Hawke's Bay team, also known as the Magpies. His first game for Hawke's Bay was on August 13, 2005, against Nelson Bays. He even scored a try in that first game!
From 2005 to 2011, he played 61 games for Hawke's Bay. In 2020, Sona returned to Hawke's Bay for one last season. That year, the Magpies won the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup Championship title. They also won the Ranfurly Shield, which is a famous rugby trophy in New Zealand. After this successful season, Sona retired from professional rugby.
Playing for the Chiefs
Sona joined the Chiefs team for the 2009 Super 14 season. This is a big competition for teams from different countries in the Southern Hemisphere. He played his first Super Rugby game on February 14, 2009, against the Crusaders.
The 2012 Super Rugby season was his best with the Chiefs. The team won their first Super Rugby title that year. Sona also scored 9 tries, making him one of the top try-scorers of the season.
Playing in France
After his time in New Zealand, Sona moved to France to play rugby.
Perpignan
In June 2012, Sona signed a three-year contract with the French club Perpignan. This team played in the Top 14, which is the highest level of rugby in France. He also played in European competitions like the Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup. After the 2013–14 Top 14 season, Perpignan was moved down to the second-tier league, Pro D2.
Racing-Métro
For a short time in 2014, Sona joined Racing Métro to help them out with injuries. However, he did not play any games for this club.
Grenoble
In June 2015, Sona joined Grenoble. He played for them in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. After his second season, Grenoble was moved down to the Pro D2 league. But they quickly bounced back! At the end of the 2017-18 season, they won a special match to get promoted back to the Top 14. Sona scored 8 tries that season, including one in that important promotion game.
In May 2018, Sona was going to play another season with Grenoble. However, after some medical tests, he was found to have health issues with his spine. Because of this, Grenoble ended his contract.
Provence Rugby
Just over a month later, independent doctors checked Sona again. They said he was fit to play rugby. So, on September 18, 2018, he signed with Provence Rugby, another team in the Pro D2 league. His second season with Provence Rugby was cut short in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, he returned home to Hawke's Bay in New Zealand.
Sona's International Career
Sona also played for his home country, Tonga. He played for the Tonga under-19 team in 2000.
Senior Debut for Tonga
On July 2, 2011, Sona made his first game for the senior Tonga national team. It was against Fiji in the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. He scored a try in his very first game!
He also played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In Tonga's first game against New Zealand, Sona scored Tonga's only try. He played his last of 20 test matches for Tonga in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, also against New Zealand. Throughout his international career, he scored a total of 4 tries (20 points).
Other Representative Teams
Sona also had the chance to play for other special teams. On June 1, 2014, he played for the Barbarians, a famous invitational rugby club. They beat an England XV team. Six days later, he played for the World XV team against South Africa.
Return to International Rugby
Surprisingly, Sona made an international comeback for Tonga on July 24, 2021. He played against the Cook Islands in a qualification match for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He was called out of retirement to help the team when another player was injured.
