Pila Fifita (born 13 June 1975 in Viliame Fifita) is a

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 ...

player who has represented

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, including one cap during 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 ...

. He also played two seasons for the New Zealand Divisional 15. He plays as a winger. He is the father of

Sosefo Fifita Sosefo "Jojo" Fifita (born 8 January 2003) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er or for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL). Background Fifita is the son of former Tongan rugby star Pila F ...

North Otago

Pila Fifita debuted for

North Otago North Otago is an area in New Zealand that covers the area of the Otago region between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre f ...

in 2000. He along with most of his teammates suffered losses in his first two seasons the worst being in 2001 in the NPC final, but he enjoyed success in 2002 when he was a main part of the NPC 3rd Division winning team. In 2002, he scored 15 tries for the season including three hat-tricks, the best coming in the final against Horowhenua-Kapita making him the first person out of any of the NPC divisions to score three tries in a NPC final. He ended up scoring 79 points for the season. Fifita played many matches for

the last coming at the end of the 2005 season, he was a stand out player in the union and he was arguerably one of North Otago's greatest and most valuarable players.

Saracens

After playing for

Fifita signed a deal with European club

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 ...

in 2004. The

head coach Rod Kafer said "We have been looking to get the correct balance and variety in our back line and we feel Pila will provide that. He's a very powerful player who can break the gain line and carry the ball in an uncompromising way. We've cast the net far and wide in order to get the balance in our squad."

Fukuoka Sanix Blues

After playing a couple of seasons in Europe for

he went to play for the Japanese club

Fukuoka Sanix Blues , formerly ''Fukuoka Sanix Blues'' and ''Fukuoka Sanix Bombs'', was a Japanese rugby union team based in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Founded in April 1994 (Heisei 6), the team rose rapidly through the Kyūshū leagues and was in the Top ...

in the

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

. He is currently still playing for the

Tonga

In 2003, after playing impressive matches for

in 2002 and 2003, Pila Fifita was called into the Tongan rugby world cup squad to replace

Aisea Havili Aisea Havili Kaufusi (born 11 March 1977) is a Tongan rugby union footballer, who currently played most recently as a winger for the Cornish Pirates in National Division One as well as for the Tonga national team. Club career Havili began his ...

after he withdrew because of a leg injury. North Otago chief executive Ian Patterson said Fifita's selection was exciting for the province. "We're absolutely thrilled for Pila. He's had a very strong couple of seasons and it's great for him to get this reward. He's a major part of our team and we will miss him". Fifita got to play one match in the 2003 rugby world cup on 29 October against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 2005, Fifita was again called into the Tongan rugby team but like in 2003 he only played one match.

Griffith Uni Colleges Knights

As of January 2018 Fifita is currently a member of the Griffith Uni Colleges Knights in the Gold Coast District Rugby Union Competition on the Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifita, Pila Living people 1975 births

Pila Pila may refer to: Architecture * Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses Places *Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina *Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina *P ...

Tonga international rugby union players North Otago rugby union players Tongan rugby union players Tongan expatriate rugby union players in France Tongan expatriate rugby union players in Japan Tongan expatriate rugby union players in New Zealand Rugby union wings 2003 Rugby World Cup players