Ofisa Tonu'u

Ofisa Tonu'u

Birth name	Ofisa Francis Junior Tonu'u
Date of birth	(1970-02-03) 3 February 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth	Wellington, New Zealand
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	94 kg (207 lb)
School	Rongotai College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Halfback Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1999–2001 London Irish () 2001–03 Newport 45 (87) Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1991–92 Wellington 14 () 1993–99 Auckland 71 () Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 1996–98 Blues 32 (55) 1999 Hurricanes 9 (5) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1992–93 Samoa 5 1996–98 New Zealand 5 (0)
Cricket information
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
International information
National side	Samoa
T20I debut (cap 11)	8 July 2019 v PNG
Last T20I	12 July 2019 v Vanuatu
Source: Cricinfo, 19 July 2019
Medal record Representing  Samoa Men's Cricket Pacific Games 2019 Apia Twenty20 International

Ofisa Francis Junior Tonu'u (born 3 February 1970) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and Samoa cricketer.

Rugby union

A halfback, Tonu'u represented Wellington and Auckland at the provincial level and the Blues and Hurricanes in Super Rugby. Of Samoan parentage, Tonu'u played 14 matches including five tests for Samoa in 1992 and 1993. He was later a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1996 to 1998. He played eight matches for the All Blacks including five internationals.

Cricket

He played as a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. In 2013, he was a member of the Auckland Cricket Society Premier Men's Cricket team. He still plays for Auckland Cricket Society in annual fixtures.[1]

In July 2019, at the age of 49, Tonu'u represented the Samoa national cricket team in the men's tournament at the 2019 Pacific Games.[2] He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut against Papua New Guinea on 8 July 2019.[3][4]

On January 18, 2025, Tonu'u became the only player to participate in all 7 matches as wicket-keeper for Team Rugby in the annual Black Clash at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

Match Fit

Tonu'u made his debut for Match Fit: Union vs. League in 2024.[5] He was revealed to be at risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. On episode 3, he revealed that he travelled to Eden Park to his house in West Harbour, West Auckland on foot.[6] At the final weigh in, he managed to lose enough weight to be out of the danger zone for cardiovascular diseases. In the final game, he was named as a hooker for rugby union and rugby league.

References

1. Knight, Lindsay. "Ofisa Tonu'u". New Zealand Rugby Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
2. "Ex-All Black makes Samoan cricket debut at Pacific Games". Samoa 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
3. "Ex-All Black Ofisa Tonu'u makes cricket debut for Samoa at Pacific Games". Stuff. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
4. "Former All Black makes international cricket debut aged 49". Rugby Pass. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
5. "Match Fit Season 4 Ep 1 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
6. "Match Fit Season 4 Ep 3 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 8 August 2024.