Tevita Kuridrani
Tevita Kuridrani (born 31 March 1991) is an Australian rugby union player of Fijian descent. His usual position is outside-centre. He plays for the Brumbies in Super Rugby and represents Australia in international rugby.
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| Birth name | Ratu Tevita Kuridrani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 March 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Suva, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 102 kg (16 st 1 lb; 225 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Corinda State High School Lelean Memorial School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Family and early life
Ratu Tevita Kuridrani was born in Suva, Fiji to Inosi and Litiana Kuridrani, and grew up in the small Fijian village of Namatakula.[2] He began playing rugby while a student at Vatuwaqa Primary School, and was part of the Suva Milo Kaji team playing in the under-12 and 13 grades. He attended Lelean Memorial School in Suva, before moving with his family to Australia in 2007.[3]
Kuridrani attended Corinda State High School,[2] and played rugby league and rugby union in Brisbane.[3] Kuridrani is related to several well-known representative rugby players. He is the nephew of Noa Nadruku, and the cousin of Lote Tuqiri, Samu Wara, Nemani Nadolo, and Chris Kuridrani.[2]
Rugby career
After playing Premier Colts rugby in 2009 for University of Queensland Rugby Club,[4] Kuridrani was chosen for the Brisbane Under-19 team at the end of that year.[5] In 2010, he was selected for the Fiji Under-20 team and played at outside centre in the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina.[6] He was a member of University's Premier Rugby team that won the Hospital Cup in 2010, and was chosen for the Brisbane Under-19 team once again.[7]
Kuridrani was selected for the Australia 7s team and played in the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series.[8] He joined the Queensland Reds Academy for 2011.[3] Kuridrani played on the wing for the Australia under 20 team at the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Italy,[9] before being signed by Jake White to join the Brumbies prior to the 2012 Super Rugby season on a two-year deal.[2]
In 2012, he made his Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies against the Reds off the bench in Brisbane.[2] In his second season at the Brumbies, Kuridrani established himself as the team's first-choice centre, and he was a member of the starting side for the Brumbies which defeated the British and Irish Lions in 2013.
After the Brumbies had played in the Super Rugby final in 2013, Kuridrani was selected for the Wallabies squad by coach Ewen McKenzie. He made his test debut for Australia against New Zealand in Sydney on 17 August 2013. Later that year, Kuridrani was sent-off for a tip-tackle while playing for Australia against Ireland and was suspended from playing for five weeks.[10]
His high work rate has seen him consistently be selected for the Wallabies and he has also won many "Man of the Match" awards.[11]
Super Rugby Statistics
- As of 22 July 2016[12]
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Brumbies | 8 | 1 | 7 | 163 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Brumbies | 17 | 15 | 2 | 1222 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | Brumbies | 17 | 16 | 1 | 1239 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Brumbies | 15 | 15 | 0 | 1158 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Brumbies | 16 | 16 | 0 | 1254 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 73 | 63 | 10 | 5036 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1 | 0 | |
Reference list
- "Wallabies Profile". rugby.com.au. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- Pandaram, Jamie (17 November 2013). "Wallaby Tevita Kuridrani follows famous family members Noa Nadruku, Lote Tuqiri and co to sporting stardom". Daily Telegraph. News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- "Kuridrani makes the cut". Fiji Times. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- "QLD Rugby Union Premier Colts Grand Final". rugby.com.au. 19 September 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- "QRU Annual Report 2009". rugby.com.au. 2009. p. 18. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- "FRU Annual Report 2010" (PDF 3.3 MB). Fiji Rugby. 2010. p. 24. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- "QRU Annual Report 2010" (PDF). Queensland Rugby. 2010. pp. 25–26. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- Vuadreu, Lavenia (20 July 2011). "Kuridrani brothers to feature in Coral Coast 7s". fijilive.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- "ARU Annual Report 2011". Australian Rugby Union. 2011. p. 38. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- "Tevita Kuridrani to miss last Spring Tour test after ban". Fraser Coast Chronicle. Maryborough Hervey Bay Newspaper. 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- Malo, Maciu. "Kuridrani wins best player award". Fiji Times. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- "Player Statistics". its rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.