Zebastian Lucky Luisi (born 22 December 1984), also known by the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

s of "Lucky", "Zeb", "Zebba", is a New Zealand

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who has competed in the Auckland Rugby League competition, his most recent club being the Howick Hornets. He has also represented the

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial compet ...

. Luisi has also represent Niue in international rugby league.

Background

Luisi was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand.

Early years

Luisi is a Junior Kiwi international. Luisi is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and Niuean descent and previously played for the Eastern Tornadoes in the

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Ze ...

, the top level rugby league competition in New Zealand.

England

Zebastian Lucky Luisi joined

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, England. They play their home games at Plough Lane and currently compete in the RFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of British rugby le ...

on a 2-year contract at the end of 2004's

Super League IX Tetley's Super League IX was the name of the 2004 Super League championship season due to sponsorship by Tetley's Bitter. This was the 110th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the ninth championship decided by Supe ...

after putting together some impressive performances on trial with the club during that season. The big full-back was selected to play for the Harlequins rugby union side for the

Middlesex Sevens The Middlesex Sevens was a Rugby Sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.Bath, ''Scotland Rugby Miscellany'', p82 T ...

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

. Lucky Luisi played for

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

in National League Two having signed in February 2008 from Harlequins RL. At the start of the 2009 Season he joined championship club Barrow Raiders Luisi's position of choice is as a . He can also operate on the and in the centres where he is to feature for Doncaster.

Return to New Zealand

He returned home in 2012, joining the

in the

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

competition.Team Lists Round 13 - July 5
''aucklandleague.co.nz'' In 2013 and 2014 he is the

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

of the

Howick Hornets The Howick Hornets are a rugby league club based in Howick, New Zealand. The premier team competes in Auckland Rugby League's senior competitions. The club currently competes in the top division, the Fox Memorial Trophy. The club has a historic r ...

.Team Lists
''aucklandleague.co.nz'', 30 March 2013 He played for the Counties Manukau Stingrays in the 2013 National Competition.

Niue

At the

2018 Emerging Nations World Championship The 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship (ENWC) was a rugby league tournament held for Tier Two and Tier Three nations, the third edition of the Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament. Background Several nations that had not qualified, or ...

, Luisi represented

Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...

, playing at in all four of the tournament matches. Also, on 27 October, he played in a 36–32 loss against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In this match, he scored his first try for the Niuean national team.

References

External links

Barrow Raiders profileHarlequins RL Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luisi, Zebastian Lucky 1984 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen Barrow Raiders players Counties Manukau rugby league team players Doncaster R.L.F.C. players Eastern Tornadoes players Howick Hornets coaches Howick Hornets players London Broncos players New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in England New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand people of Niuean descent New Zealand rugby league coaches New Zealand rugby league players Niue national rugby league team captains Niue national rugby league team players Otahuhu Leopards players Rugby league centres Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Auckland Rugby league wingers