Michael Alaalatoa
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 Alaalatoarepresenting NSW Country Eagles during the National Rugby Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Michael Savea Alaalatoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 August 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 132 kg (291 lb; 20 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Newington College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Vili Alaalatoa (father) Allan Alaalatoa (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael Savea Alaalatoa (born 28 August 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Leinster. Born in Australia, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Born into a rugby household where father Vili was a member of the Samoa squad for the 1991 Rugby World Cup, Alaalatoa was quickly introduced into the sporting world and played rugby, volleyball and cricket in his childhood.
Club career
[edit]Rugby was where he excelled and he played three years in the Newington College First XV.[3] He made his way through the ranks in the New South Wales Shute Shield, initially with Southern Districts and later West Harbour. Some impressive performances at that level saw him become a regular member of the Waratahs wider training squad in 2014.[1]
An injury to regular front-rower Paddy Ryan saw Alaalatoa called up to the Waratahs first team for the final round of league matches in the 2014 Super Rugby season. He made his debut as a second-half replacement in the Waratahs 34–3 victory over the Reds in Brisbane.[4]
Leading up to the 2015 ITM Cup Alaalatoa moved to New Zealand and signed to play for Manawatu[5] where he had a solid season that earned him a 2016 super rugby contract with the Crusaders[6]
It was announced on 12 April 2021 that Alaalatoa would be moving to Leinster to play Pro 14 and European Cup rugby starting in the 2021/22 season.[7]
International career
[edit]Alaalatoa was a member of the Samoa Under 20 side that competed in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[8]
Alaalatoa was eligible to play international rugby for Samoa, Australia through birth and New Zealand through residency.
On 23 August 2019, he was named in Samoa's 34-man training squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup,[9] before being named in the final 31 on 31 August.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Michael Alaalatoa Waratahs Player Profile". Waratahs Rugby. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Michael Alaalatoa Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Newington College Rugby Association Archived 18 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Reds vs Waratahs 12 July 2014 Match Breakdown". SA Rugby. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Prop Alaalatoa gives up Waratahs contract to play for Turbos".
- ^ "Crusaders nab giant Manawatu tighthead prop Michael Alaalatoa".
- ^ "Leinster sign Crusaders tighthead prop Michael Alaalatoa". Irish Times. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Michael Alaalatoa IRB JWC Player Profile". IRB.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Airey, Thomas (23 August 2019). "Alalatoa headlines Manu Samoa pre-World Cup squad". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Two uncapped players in Samoa squad for Japan". rugbyworldcup.com. Rugby World Cup. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
External links
[edit]- Michael Alaalatoa at ESPNscrum
- Michael Alaalatoa at ItsRugby.co.uk
