Tusi Pisi facts for kids
.jpg)
Pisi in 2011
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Tusiata Pisi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 June 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Apia, Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (14 st 9 lb; 205 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Massey High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | George Pisi, Ken Pisi (brothers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tusi Pisi, born on June 18, 1982, is a famous Samoan former rugby union player. He played in many different countries like Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. Tusi Pisi usually played as a fly-half. He could also play as a centre or a full-back.
After retiring from playing, Tusi Pisi became a coach. He is now the head coach for the Samoan national team.
Contents
Tusi Pisi's Rugby Journey
Early Life and School Days
Tusi Pisi was born in Apia, Samoa. When he was young, his parents moved him and his brother, George Pisi, to Auckland, New Zealand. George also became a professional rugby player.
Tusi went to Massey High School. He was the captain of his school's top rugby team, the First XV. After high school, Tusi started playing for the Massey Rugby Club. In 2002, he joined North Harbour as a semi-professional player.
Playing for Top Teams
In 2003, Tusi Pisi was chosen to play for the New Zealand Colts. This team is for talented young players under 21. He played alongside future All Blacks like Jerome Kaino.
Tusi became a very important player for the North Harbour team. In 2006, he was picked for the Pacific Islanders squad. He played fly-half in all three matches during their tour in Europe that year.
From New Zealand to France and Japan
In 2007, Tusi Pisi signed his first professional contract with the Super Rugby team, the Crusaders. After one year, he moved to France. He joined Toulon, which was then in the Pro D2 league.
In his first season, Toulon won the Pro D2 championship. This helped them move up to the top French league, the Top 14, for the 2008–09 season.
After two seasons in France, Tusi moved to Japan. He signed with Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo. He helped them win the Japan Rugby League One championship in both 2012 and 2013. While playing for Suntory, Tusi also played in Super Rugby. He played for the Hurricanes from 2012 to 2013. Later, he played for the Sunwolves in 2016.
Representing Samoa on the World Stage
In 2011, Tusi Pisi made his first appearance for the Samoa. He chose to play for the country where he was born. He played in the first game of the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. He was also chosen for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. He played in the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup too.
Tusi was part of a special time for Samoan rugby. During this "golden age," Samoa often won against very strong teams. These included teams like Australia, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
In March 2016, Tusi Pisi signed a two-year contract with the English team Bristol. After three years there, he went back to Japan. He played for Toyota Industries Shuttles. Tusi Pisi stopped playing rugby professionally in 2021.
Becoming a Coach
Even before he officially retired in 2021, Tusi Pisi had some coaching experience. He taught and coached at Massey High School from 2003 to 2007. He also worked as a part-time skills coach at Cleve RFC while he was playing for Bristol.
His first full-time coaching job was at Toyota Industries Shuttles. After he retired from playing for them, he became an assistant coach at the club.
Tusi Pisi also helped coach a Samoan team in 2021. He was then made the backs and skills coach for the Samoan national team before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In April 2025, Tusi Pisi became the head coach of the Samoan national team.
See also
In Spanish: Tusi Pisi para niños
