Asaeli Ai Valu

Asaeli Ai Valu

Ai Valu representing the Sunwolves during Super Rugby
Date of birth	(1989-05-07) 7 May 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Tofoa, Tonga
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	115 kg (254 lb; 18 st 2 lb)
School	Shochi Fukaya High School
University	Saitama Institute of Technology
Notable relative(s)	Fakahau Valu (father)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop Current team Saitama Wild Knights Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2014– Saitama Wild Knights 88 (65) 2018–2019 Sunwolves 6 (0) Correct as of 28 August 2023 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2017– Japan 30 (10) Correct as of 28 August 2023

Asaeli Ai Valu (ヴァル アサエリ愛, Baru Asaeri Ai, born 7 May 1989) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Japan Rugby League One club Saitama Wild Knights. Born in Tonga, he represents Japan at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.[1][2][3]

International career

After 4 Top League seasons for Panasonic Wild Knights Ai Valu received his first call-up to his adopted country, Japan's senior squad ahead of the 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[4]

Personal life

Valu received Japanese Citizenship in 2017. He is the son of former rugby union player Fakahau Valu, who represented Tonga at the 1987 Rugby World Cup.[5]

In Valu's university times, during the rugby off-season, he worked part-time at a farm-house and appeared at the Nippon Television variety show The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!.[6]

Upon acquiring Japanese citizenship, he added the first kanji of his wife's name (Ai (愛)) to his Japanese name. His wife's great-uncle is the comedian Kinichi Hagimoto. Although Valu himself has not met Hagimoto, he has been received with a phone call.[7]

References

1. "アサエリ・ヴァル 選手プロフィール". ジャパンラグビートップリーグ (in Japanese).
2. "Asaeli Ai Valu ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
3. "Asaeli Ai Valu Japan Rugby Player Profile" (in Japanese). Japan Rugby. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
4. "Rugby: Leitch to lead Japan in autumn tests". Kyodo News. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
5. "Live it TONGA : Son of Former National Rugby Player Fakahau Valu & Lioneti, now living in Japan". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
6. "出張DASH村 2013年2月10日". Tetsuwan Dash official website. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
7. "【勇敢な桜戦士】バル・アサエリ愛は正真正銘「欽ちゃんファミリー」妻の大叔父は萩本欽一、電話で激励受けた"". Chunichi Sports. Chunichi Shimbun. Retrieved 30 April 2021.

External links

• Asaeli Ai Valu at ESPNscrum
• Asaeli Ai Valu at ItsRugby.co.uk