Name Isaia Toeava Career start 2005 Weight 100 kg | Height 1.81 m Role Rugby Player | |
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Education De La Salle College, Mangere East | ||
Isaia toeava highlights
Isaia "Ice" Toeava (born 15 January 1986 in Moto'otua, Samoa), is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand.
Contents
- Isaia toeava highlights
- Isaia toeava tribute
- Early career
- Professional Career and the All Blacks
- Move to Japan
- French adventure
- NZRU Annual Awards
- New Zealand Representative Teams
- References
Isaia toeava tribute
Early career
Toeava attended De La Salle College, Mangere East, he played alongside Taniela Moa in the school's First XV rugby team. He represented New Zealand U-19 where he was named the IRB's Under-19 2005 player of the year. He played at second-five for New Zealand Under 19. Other early career highlights include playing second five for the Championship-winning Auckland Marist Under 21 side, coached by Peter Tubberty.
Professional Career and the All Blacks
Toeava played for the All Blacks and represented New Zealand in Sevens rugby.
In 2005 Toeava was a shock selection for the All Blacks Grand Slam tour at only 19 years of age. He had had no Super 14 experience, and limited Provincial experience with just eight games for Auckland, and only a solitary start at first-five against Northland.
He played his first-class rugby mainly at centre, wing and fullback. He played his provincial rugby for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup and was drafted to the Hurricanes in the 2006 Super 14 season. He played for the Blues for the 2007 season.
He was instrumental in the success of the Blues in the 2007 Super 14 season, scoring four tries and setting up many others from the outside centre position. He was later nominated for Rebel Sport Super 14 Player of the Year at the 2007 Steinlager Rugby Awards. He was one of several players to be played at centre for the All Blacks in 2010 and 2011, a position which has seen numerous changes because of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith's injuries.
Toeava played the final two games of the 2011 Tri-Nations tournament. At the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Toeava played in pool matches against Tonga (at left wing), Japan (at fullback) and Canada (coming of the bench in the second half).
Move to Japan
In July 2012, Toeava signed a two-year contract with the Tokyo-based Canon Eagles.
French adventure
In March 2015 Toeava joined Clermont as a medical joker to cover an injury crisis and has held his place at the powerful club. His form helped guide Clermont to the French Top 14 championship and to the lead in their pool of the Champions Cup in January 2017, before an arm injury that required surgery sidelined him for the rest of the season.