Nicky Tyrone Little (born 13 September 1976) is a former professional
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
footballer. He plays at
fly-half. He is a nephew of
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
centre
Walter Little, but represents Fiji at international level.
Career
He has scored 652 points for Fiji and is the Pacific region's second highest
point scorer of players who are currently active. He previously played for
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
and
North Harbour in New Zealand provincial rugby, before moving to England where he played for the
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as ...
in late 1999. He signed with
Dax in France, but soon moved to
Pontypridd
Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre.
Geography
Pontypridd comprises the ...
, before signing with the
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
.
Little made his test debut for
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
in 1996 in a match against the
Springboks in
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
, at just 19 years of age. He finished the 2000 and 2001 Pacific Rim tournaments as the top points scorer. He entered the
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England national rugby union team, England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispu ...
as Fiji's all-time highest points scorer, with 488 points. He got four
caps for Fiji at the 2003 World Cup, scoring a total of 45 points in those games. At the 2007 event he starred as Fiji defeated
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
to reach the quarter-finals, but was injured late in the final group game, after straining his medial knee ligaments and missed the quarter-final.
On 15 July 2009, it was announced that Little had signed a one-year deal with
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, with Head Coach
Steve Meehan stating that he would be in the squad for the tour to Portugal in late July 2009.
On 26 February 2010 it was announced that Little would be playing for
Bristol Rugby from the 2010–11 season onwards.
But at the end of the 2010/2011 season it was announced that Little would be part of the clearout of players departing Bristol Rugby.
At the midpoint of the 2011/12 season, it was announced that Little was joining RFU Championship side Esher RFC.
At the start of the 2012/13 season Little became part of a joint venture with
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, and
The Canterbury High School. Canterbury's Elite Rugby Player Development Centre, headed by Little, is the first of its kind within the country and its aim is to develop grass roots rugby within the area.
References
External links
Pontypridd profileBath RugbyFiji profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Nicky
1976 births
Fijian rugby union players
Living people
Rugby union fly-halves
Canterbury rugby union players
North Harbour rugby union players
Pontypridd RFC players
Sale Sharks players
Saracens F.C. players
Bath Rugby players
Rugby union players from Tokoroa
Fiji international rugby union players
New Zealand people of Fijian descent
New Zealand expatriate rugby union players
Expatriate rugby union players in France
Fijian expatriate rugby union players in England
Fijian expatriate rugby union players in Scotland
Fijian expatriate rugby union players in Wales
New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in England
New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in France
New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Scotland
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Wales
Fijian expatriate sportspeople in France
People educated at Te Awamutu College
1999 Rugby World Cup players
2003 Rugby World Cup players
2007 Rugby World Cup players
2011 Rugby World Cup players