Nemani Nadolo

Nemani Nadolo
Nadolo in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ratu Nemani Driu Nasiganiyavi
Nickname Nemz
Born (1988-01-31) 31 January 1988
Sigatoka, Fiji
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 135 kg (21 st 4 lb)[1]
School Nudgee College (2005)
Playing Career
Rugby league
Rugby union
Position Wing, Centre
Club
Years Team Apps T C P DG Pts
2007 Perth Spirit 2 1 5
2008–09 Randwick 7 13 65
2008 Manly
2010–11 Bourgoin 16 5 25 25
2011 Exeter 4
2011–15 Green Rockets 51 55 4 1 286
2014–16 Crusaders 40 27 4 143
2016 Montpellier 6 3 15
Total 126 104 8 1 0 539
Representative
Years Team Caps T C P DG Pts
2008 Australia U20 5 7 35
2010– Fiji 25 19 30 20 215
As of 27 November 2016

Nemani Nadolo (formerly Ratu Nasiganiyavi) (born 31 January 1988) is a Fijian rugby union player. His usual position is wing or centre. He currently plays for Montpellier in the French Top 14 competition[2] He was the overall top try scorer of the 2014 Super Rugby season competition, scoring a try in both the semi-final and final.

Family and early life

Ratu Nemani Driu Nasiganiyavi was born in Sigatoka, Fiji. At three months of age he moved to Brisbane, Australia where his father, Isei Nasiganiyavi, played rugby for Queensland.[3][4]

He changed his name to Nemani Nadolo later as an adult, adopting his mother's maiden name in 2009 instead of the surname of his father, Isei Nasiganiyavi 1980s Queensland Reds Winger and who had left the family home when he was young.[5]

He attended Nudgee College, and was selected for the Queensland Schoolboys rugby team in 2005.[6][7] He is the older brother of Chris Kuridrani (formerly Chris Nasiganiyavi) and the cousin of Tevita Kuridrani,[8] and Lote Tuqiri.[3]

Rugby career

Early career

After featuring for Perth Spirit in the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship (as Ratu Siganiyavi),[4] he headed east to play for Randwick in 2008. He hit the ground running for Randwick scoring 13 tries in his first seven matches. His club rugby season was punctuated by selection for the Australian Under 20 team for the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, where he crossed seven times in five matches to be the tournament's leading tryscorer.[6]

Nasiganiyavi was one of the finds of the 2008 season, with his hard-running and try-scoring prowess earning the powerhouse wing a Super 14 contract with the Waratahs.

Nasiganiyavi's size, style of play and Pacific Islander background drew him comparisons to Jonah Lomu when he signed for the Waratahs in 2008. He is noted for his top speed and acceleration for his size, therefore is documented to have a sprint time under 11 seconds over 100 metres[9][3][10]

'He runs like a chicken but is faster than a lion (chicken run using only two limbs like humans while the later runs on four and has an advantage)'

Australian international prop Matt Dunning's, famous quote on Nadolo's unique playing style and speed[11]

He played his first match for the Junior Waratahs on the 2008 Development Tour of Fiji less than 200 metres from his mother's village in Nadi. After changing his name to Nemani Nadolo in November 2009,[5] he signed to play for Manly in the Shute Shield for 2010.

Europe

Nadolo signed with French Top 14 team Bourgoin-Jallieu for the 2010–11 season, but transferred to England's Exeter Chiefs in January 2011. Nadolo's brief time at Exeter was fairly troublesome. He was registered at Exeter under his Australian Passport and was mistakenly picked alongside two other non-Kolpak players. This is a breach of IRB regulations and resulted in Exeter being docked two premiership points and fined £5,000.[12] Also while at Exeter he was arrested by police for drink driving. He was subsequently banned from driving for 18 months and fined £950. Nadolo was immediately released from his contract with the club.[13]

Nadolo played for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japan Top League between 2011 and 2013.

Super Rugby

In October 2013, Nadolo signed to play for Crusaders in the 2014 Super Rugby season.[14] On March 2014, he made his Super Rugby debut off the bench against the Melbourne Rebels.[15] He went on to play 14 Super Rugby games, including 12 starts, in his first season and was the equal top try scorer with Israel Folau, notching 12 tries. He scored a try in both the semi-final and final but it wasn't enough to win the Super Rugby title as his Crusaders team lost to his first team, the Waratahs, by 33–32.

In August 2014, Nadolo re-signed with the Crusaders for two more seasons.[16]

Top 14

In November 2015, Nadolo signed a three-year deal with French Top 14 side, Montpellier. He will leave at the end of the 2016 Super Rugby season.[17]

International career

Nadolo made his Test debut in 2010 when selected in the 24-member Fiji team for a one-off match against Australia, followed by the 2010 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.

In June 2014, He joined the Fiji fifteens team for the one-off test against Italy. He was instrumental in that game playing at his preferred position of Inside centre scoring 13 points including a try. A week later in the 2014 IRB Pacific Nations Cup, he faced Tonga scoring 20 points including a try and kicking 6 conversion and a long-range penalty. A week later, against Samoa, he scored a try but it was not enough for a win as Fiji lost in a nail-biting encounter, 13–18. In his final game for Fiji in June in the 2015 Rugby World Cup – Oceania qualification match against Cook Islands. He scored a hatrick of tries and in the process equalled the all-time record set by Christian Cullen and John Kirwan of scoring 10 tries in consecutive matches.

He returned for Fiji in 2015 and played on the wing against the Māori All Blacks in Suva but whilst scoring a try, he damaged his pectoral muscles which ruled him out for 6 weeks and the 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. He was nevertheless included in the final 31-member squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He returned to play for Fiji in a warm-up game against Canada on the left wing and though he didn't score a try, he kicked 5 conversions and 4 penalties with his boot ending the game with a 100% kicking percentage. He scored a try against England in the first match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup on 18 September 2015.[18] [19]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.montpellier-rugby.com/joueur/nadolo
  2. ↑ Knowler, Richard (8 November 2013). "Nemani Nadolo brings fear factor to Crusaders". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tuqiri's cousin the new Jonah". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Perth Spirit squad for ARC named". sportsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  5. 1 2 Proszenko, Adrian (15 November 2009). "Nadolo no longer a tongue-twisting hulk – now he's just huge". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Ratu Nasiganiyavi Player Profile (Australia U20)". rugby.com.au. Archived from Ratu Nasiganiyavi the original Check |url= value (help) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Queensland Rugby Football Schools Union – Queensland I 2005". QRFSU. 9 July 2005. Archived from the original on 8 July 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sanday raises a profile". Fiji Times. 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  9. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/11860709/Meet-rugbys-man-mountain-plotting-Englands-downfall.html
  10. ↑ "Waratahs sign Ratu Nasiganiyavi". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  11. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34268262/newsbeat-unveils-the-beasts-of-the-rugby-world-cup
  12. ↑ "Exeter Chiefs deducted two points and fined £5,000". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo released by Exeter Chiefs". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  14. ↑ Knowler, Richard (30 October 2013). "Crusaders add power with signing of Fijian Nadolo". Fairfax Media. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "Sport: Nadolo in line to make Super Rugby debut – Radio New Zealand News". Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Nadolo signs on for two more years". SANZAR Rugby. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Nadolo confirms move to Montpellier after 2016 season | Crusaders". crusaders.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  18. ↑ "Two Mike Brown tries help nervy England beat Fiji in World Cup opener". Guardian. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  19. ↑ http://www.sportal.com.au/rugby/news/video-ben-volavola-sets-up-nadolo-with-perfect-kickc-rugby-world-cup-fiji-england-southern-districts-shute-shield-crusaders/1fjb2odauy0441pejihclerqnj
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