Solomone Kata

Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a professional rugby union footballer who plays for the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby.

Solomone Kata
Personal information
Born (1994-12-03) 3 December 1994
Neiafu, Tonga
Height177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionCentre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015–19 New Zealand Warriors 93 46 0 0 184
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014–19 Tonga 6 4 7 0 26
2016 New Zealand 5 1 0 0 4
As of 18 May 2019
Source: [1]

He previously played rugby league for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League[2], and has played rugby league for Tonga and New Zealand at international level.

Background

Kata was born in Neiafu, Tonga, and moved to New Zealand in 2011 on a rugby union scholarship at Sacred Heart College, Auckland.

Kata represented the Tongan under-21 side.[3]

Rugby league career
Kata playing for the Warriors in 2014
Kata in action for the Warriors

2013

Kata switched to rugby league in 2013, signing with the New Zealand Warriors. Kata played for the Warriors Holden Cup team and was part of the side that lost the Grand Final 30–42 to the Penrith Panthers. Kata played in the 2014 Auckland Nines with the first grade side, before returning to the under 20s competition.[4]

2014

Kata played for the Warriors in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines[5] At the end of the regular season, Kata played at centre in the 2014 Holden Cup grand final, scoring a hat-trick in the Junior Warriors' 34–32 victory over the Brisbane Broncos juniors. Kata won the Jack Gibson Medal as the grand final player of the match.[6] On 20 October 2014 Kata made his international debut, playing for Tonga in their end-of-year test-match against Papua New Guinea.[7]

2015

Kata again played in the Warriors NRL Auckland Nines team in 2015 and was named in the team of the tournament.[8][9] In Round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, Kata made his first grade NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the Newcastle Knights on the wing in the Warriors' 14–24 loss at Hunter Stadium.[10][11][12] In Round 2, against the Canberra Raiders, Kata scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors' 18–6 win at Canberra Stadium.[13] On 2 May 2015, Kata played for Tonga against Samoa in the Polynesian Cup, playing at centre and kicking 2 goals in Tonga's 16–18 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.[14][15] Kata finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in all of the Warriors 24 matches and being the top tryscorer with 12 tries in the 2015 NRL season, while mid-year his contract was extended until the end of 2018.[16] On 8 September 2015, Kata was named in the New Zealand Kiwis' training squad.[17] After not making the final New Zealand squad for the England tour, Kata played for Tonga in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier match against the Cook Islands for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[18][19] He played at fullback, scored a try and kicked 4 goals in Tonga's 28–8 win at Campbelltown Stadium.[20]

2016

In February, Kata played for the Warriors in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines.[21] On 7 May, he played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, where he played at centre and kicked 1 goal.[22]

He made his New Zealand debut and played in the Four Nations for his adopted country. On 5 November, in the Kiwis second test against Australia, Kata scored his first try for the Kiwis in the 14-8 win at Ricoh Arena in Coventry.[23] On 20 November, Kata played in the Kiwis 2016 Four nations Final match against Australia, playing at centre in the 34-8 loss at Anfield.[24][25] Kata played in all 5 matches and scored 1 try in the tournament.

2017

In June 2017, Kata’s older brother Tevita died in Tonga and Kata would take a 3-week break from the game to return home to mourn with his family.[26] Kata would return in Round 19 against the Penrith Panthers, scoring 2 tries, dedicated to his brother in the 34-22 loss at Mt Smart Stadium.[27] Kata finished the 2017 NRL season with him playing in 19 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Warriors. On 4 October 2017, Kata was selected in the 24-man squad for Tonga for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[28] Kata only played in 1 match for Tonga which was against Samoa, Kata played at centre but broke his foot during the 32-18 victory over their pacific rivals at Waikato Stadium.[29]

2018

Kata made 23 appearances for the Warriors in 2018, as the club returned to the finals for the first time since 2011, scoring 12 tries in total.

He scored a try in the historic first-ever Test match between Tonga and the Australian Kangaroos on 20 October 2018, played in front of a sold-out crowd at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland.[30]

2019

Kata was switched by the Warriors from left centre to right centre from the beginning of the season.[31] After playing 6 matches and scoring 2 tries, with his form falling away he was dropped to their reserve team in the New South Wales Canterbury Cup. On 24 June it was announced that he had been granted an immediate release and had signed a contract with the Melbourne Storm until the end of the 2020 season.[32][33]

gollark: I'll fund it if they all run potatOS.
gollark: OC robots can't shoot lasers, can they?
gollark: @Terrariola#0000: no.
gollark: Terrariola believes in the exclusive right of Terrariola to property.
gollark: Infinite money.

References
  1. "Solomone Kata – Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. "Tonga name 58-man squad for Cook Islands qualifier". theroar.com.au. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. "Solomone Kata". Warriors. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  4. "Warriors name star-studded Nines squad". NRL.com. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  5. "2014 NRL Auckland Nines – Results". League Unlimited. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  6. "Warriors survive Broncos scare to win Holden Cup". NRL.com. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. "PNG beat Tonga in Lae". Loverugbyleague.com. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  8. "WARRIORS NAME 2015 NINES SQUAD". Rugby League Week. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  9. "Warriors Unearth a New Beast in Solomone Kata". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  10. "Two players ruled out". warriors.co.nz. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  11. "New faces galore for New Zealand Warriors' clash with Newcastle Knights". Stuff.co.nz. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  12. "Knights fight back to beat Warriors". NRL.com. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  13. "New Zealand Warriors outlast Canberra Raiders to secure first win of season". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  14. "Tonga Named To Face Samoa In Pacific Test". Rugby League Week. 26 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  15. "Sam Kasiano Try Saving tackle on Jorge Taufua Secures Pacific Test Win for Samoa Against Tonga". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  16. "Solomone Kata, Tuimoala Lolohea and Sam Lisone all sign contract extensions with the Warriors". The Daily Telegraph. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  17. "League: Kiwis to manage Mannering's workload on England tour – Rugby League – NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  18. "Tonga finalise squad for World Cup Qualifier". asiapacificrl.com. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  19. "Tonga qualify for 2017 World Cup". NRL.com. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  20. "Tonga qualify for 2017 World Cup". NRL.com. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  21. "Warriors name 2016 Nines squad". Rugby League Week. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  22. "Samoa holds on in pulsating Pacific Test". nrl.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  23. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/four-nations/live-rugby-league-four-nations-england-v-scotland-new-zealand-v-australia-scores-updates-blog/news-story/ac0a0c9dfcee5686f7fad1b39985fa9a
  24. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/australia-reclaims-no1-ranking-with-demolition-of-new-zealand-in-four-nations-final/news-story/3b69f8079612019b7bf1d900296cbdd4
  25. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/four-nations-final-australia-and-new-zealand-player-ratings/news-story/8f22afd11f5cb36779677714d3160dd2
  26. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11893924
  27. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/07/15/kata-i-wanted-to-give-up/
  28. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/10/05/fifita-taumalolo-in-tonga-world-cup-squad/
  29. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/league/world-cup-over-tongas-solomone-kata-after-breaking-foot-in-samoa-clash
  30. https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/sport/369091/kangaroos-withstand-spirited-tongan-challenge
  31. "Kata confirms right-side shift for 2019". NRL.com. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  32. "NRL: Solomone Kata granted immediate release by Warriors". stuff. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  33. "Storm add Kata, King; Drinkwater to Cowboys". NRL.com. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
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