Folau Fakatava

Folau Moe Lotu Nonu Fakatava (born 16 December 1999) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Highlanders in Super Rugby. His playing position is scrum-half. He has signed for the Highlanders squad in 2019.[1]

Folau Fakatava
Full nameFolau Moe Lotu Nonu Fakatava
Date of birth (1999-12-16) 16 December 1999
Place of birthNukuʻalofa, Tonga
Height177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb)
SchoolHastings Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Half-back
Current team Hawke's Bay, Highlanders
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018– Hawke's Bay 8 (10)
2019– Highlanders 3 (0)
Correct as of 12 April 2019

Early life and education

Fakatava was born in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, and moved to New Zealand when he was 16 years old. There he was hosted by a Tongan family in Flaxmere [2] and attended Hastings Boys' High School, where he was coached by Mark Ozich in the First XV. He helped the side to two national finals, losing the first but winning the second in an undefeated season in 2017. Fakatava represented the New Zealand Schoolboy Barbarians in 2016 and the Hurricanes U18 side in 2017. He was set to feature for the New Zealand Schoolboys in 2017 but was struck by injury. [3]

Domestic career

In 2018, Fakatava featured for the Hawke's Bay Magpies in his first year out of school. He made his debut against Southland [4] and went on to play eight games and spend crucial time under the Chiefs' incumbent scrum-half, Brad Weber. [2] His efforts in the Mitre 10 Cup earned him a Super Rugby contract with the Highlanders for 2019, making his debut in round three against the Melbourne Rebels. Fakatava re-signed for the Highlanders for the 2020 season. [4]

Style of play

Mark Ozich, who coached Fakatava both at Hastings Boys' High School and at the Magpies, said of him:"At schoolboy level he dominated with his ability to run from the base or a scrum or a lineout so picking his moments. One of his biggest strengths is to go to the line and put people into holes, or dummy and go himself. Lots of halfbacks can run and die with the ball, but Folau will run and offload in contact, he will put a short ball into somebody running an angle and he sees that space really well for a young halfback." [2]

Reference list
  1. "Highlanders bring back cult hero Marty Banks". Stuff. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. "How teenager Folau Fakatava went from Tonga to Super Rugby in three years". Stuff. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  3. "Folau Fakatava". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  4. "Folau Fakatava". The Highlanders. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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