Apisai Nagata, sometimes misspelled as ''Apisai Nasata'' (born date of birth unknown in
Nadi
Nadi (pronounced ) is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population ha ...
) is a Fijian former
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
footballer, he played as
flanker
Flanker may refer to:
* Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one
* Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league)
* ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...
.
Career
Nagata hails from Nawaka, the same village who produced rugby stars, such as
Manasa Qoro,
Savenaca Aria
Savenaca Aria (30 April 1964 – 15 March 2020) was a Fijian rugby union footballer and later a coach. He played as a centre.
Career
As player, he played as outside centre for Nawaka. In 1986 he played for Queensland in the Australian Provincia ...
,
Esala Labalaba, the late
Sanivalati Laulau,
Lalai Driu,
Aminiasi Nava,
Apisai Naevo and
Semisi Naevo
Ratu Meli Semisi Naevo Saukawa (born 3 May 1975 in Nawaka, Nadi) is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a flanker. His nickname is Man Mountain. His father, Joeli Lesavua, and two brothers, Apenisa and Manoa Naevo, are also Fiji reps.
Car ...
.
He was in the
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – New Zealand hosted 21 matches (17 pool stage matches, two quarter-finals, the third-place play-off and the final) while Australia hosted 11 ...
roster, when during the pool match against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, on 31 May 1987, he was in the substitute bench as second-choice loosehead flanker, but did not play any match in the tournament. Nagata also played several rugby seasons in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, moving to
Colombo Hockey and Football Club in 1986, becoming the first Fijian to play in a Sri Lankan rugby union club, and then, for
Kandy Sports Club. Nagata also played for
Sri Lanka sevens in the
1991-92 Hong Kong Sevens.
From Fiji with love
The Nation Sports
Notes
External links
*
Fiji 1987 World Cup squad at World Rugby
Fijian rugby union players
Rugby union flankers
Fijian expatriate sportspeople in Sri Lanka
Date of birth unknown
Living people
I-Taukei Fijian people
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{Fiji-rugbyunion-bio-stub