Semi Kunabuli Kunatani (born 27 October 1990) is a Fiji

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. He plays for the Fiji sevens team and also the Tel Aviv Heat. He previously played for

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...

side

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (adminis ...

and Top 14 side,

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () (), also referred to as Toulouse, is a professional rugby union club based in Toulouse, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Toulouse is the most successfu ...

and

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...

side Harlequins. Kunatani debuted for Fiji in 2013 Dubai Sevens tournament.

Career

Kunatani started his career playing rugby in the local 7's competition. He played for the Yamacia 7's side and was selected by Ben Ryan to represent the Fiji National Sevens side in Dubai 2013, following the 2013 win at the Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast Sevens where he was a stand out player. Semi's highs this 2014–2015 World Rugby Sevens season include having scored a total of 37 tries in the series thus far, being named in three World Rugby Dream Teams' (Gold Coast, Las Vegas and Glasgow) and most recently Semi was recognised by Sir Gordon Tietjens when he was named by Sir Gordon in his Hong Kong 7s Dream Team. Listing Semi Kunatani on his bench in an all time Best Sevens team, joining the likes of Waisale Serevi, Jonah Lomu, David Campese, Eric Rush and many other greats of the game. Semi has signed with Toulouse in the French T14, beginning his career in the 2015–16 season and will continue to represent Fiji Sevens if and when selected by national coach Ben Ryan. Semi became an Olympian at Rio 2016 playing in all 6 matches of the Olympics and helping Fiji win their first ever Olympic gold medal when Fiji thrashed Great Britain 43-7 in the final. Semi was a major factor in the final playing a significant role in 4 tries of the first half. This saw Semi join Osea KOLINISAU and Josua Tuisova in the Rio 7s Dream Team. On 25 August 2018, Kuntani travels to England to join Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership from the 2018-19 season. He rejoined the Top 14 when he signed for

ahead of the 2020–21 season. Kunatani was part of the Fiji sevens team that won a silver medal at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

. In 2023 he played for the international Israeli rugby side, the Tel Aviv Heat

Statistics

World Rugby Sevens Series

Awards and honours

After the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, Kunatani was awarded the Officer of the Order of Fiji.

References

External links

*
Toulouse Profile

sporple bio

Zimbio bio

The X factor
* Fiji international rugby union players Living people Fijian rugby union players Fiji international rugby sevens players I-Taukei Fijian people 1990 births Rugby sevens players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic rugby sevens players for Fiji Olympic gold medalists for Fiji 21st-century Fijian sportsmen Male rugby sevens players Olympic medalists in rugby sevens Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Stade Toulousain players Harlequin F.C. players Fijian expatriate rugby union players in France Fijian expatriate rugby union players in England Commonwealth Games silver medallists in rugby sevens Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Fiji Rugby sevens players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Rugby union players from Nadi Tel Aviv Heat players Rugby union flankers Rugby sevens players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Fijian expatriate sportspeople in Israel Expatriate rugby union players in Israel Castres Olympique players 2019 Rugby World Cup players Rugby Football Club Los Angeles players Fijian expatriate rugby union players in the United States {{Fiji-rugbyunion-bio-stub