Tafeaga Junior Sa'u (born 18 April 1987) is a professional New Zealand and Samoan rugby league player who plays as a centre for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby (MLR). He also plays for the Keighley Cougars in RFL League 1. He previously played for New Zealand and Samoa at the international level.
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| Full name | Tafeaga Junior Sa'u[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 April 1987 Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 4 lb (97 kg)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 18 December 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Newcastle Knights and the Melbourne Storm in the NRL, the Salford Red Devils in the Super League, and the Leigh Centurions in the Super League.[3] He spent time in 2019 on loan from Salford at Wakefield Trinity in the Super League. Sa'u has also played rugby union for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States.
Background
editSa'u was born in Auckland, New Zealand to Samoan parents from Lauli'i and Apolima.[1]
He played his junior football for Logan Brothers in Queensland, Australia before being signed by the Canberra Raiders.
Playing career
editEarly career
editHe played for Canberra's Premier League team in 2006, scoring seven tries.[6]
Newcastle Knights
editSa'u then signed a four-year contract starting in 2008 to be a part of the newly cleaned out Newcastle Knights.
In Round 13 of the 2008 NRL season he made his NRL début for the Newcastle club against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He scored two tries on debut.
In June 2011, Sa'u re-signed with the Newcastle club for a further two years.[7]
Melbourne Storm
editOn 18 August 2012, Sa'u was released from the final year of his Newcastle contract and signed with the Melbourne Storm on a one-year contract starting in 2013.[8]
Salford Red Devils
editIn June 2013, it was announced that Sa'u had signed a two-year deal with Salford in the Super League starting in 2014.[9]
Scoring 12 tries in his début season with Salford, he was voted k'Supporter's Player of the Year' for 2014.
Wakefield Trinity
editOn 14 May 2019, after five years with the Salford club, Sau joined fellow Super League team Wakefield Trinity on an initial one month loan.
Leigh Centurions
editSa'u joined the Leigh Centurions in the 2019 RFL Championship.
In round 18 of the 2021 Super League season, he scored two tries for Leigh in a 28-34 loss against Hull Kingston Rovers.[10]
Old Glory DC
editSa'u made the switch to rugby union in 2022, joining Major League Rugby side Old Glory DC in the United States.[11]
Keighley Cougars
editAt the conclusion of the 2022 Major League Rugby season Sa'u returned to the United Kingdom and rugby league and signed for League 1 team Keighley Cougars until the end of the 2022 League 1 season.[12] Sa'u was named as captain of the team for the 2025 season.[13]
International career
editIn 2008, Sa'u was named in the Samoa training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup but did not make the final squad.[14]
In 2009, Sa'u was selected in the New Zealand Kiwis Four Nations squad and made his international début for the Kiwis against Tonga.[15]
In 2010, Sa'u was selected for New Zealand in the 2010 ANZAC Test. He was also again selected in the New Zealand squad for the 2010 Four Nations.
In 2013 Junior played for Samoa in the Pacific Rugby League International against Tonga. He was also called in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup squad to replace the initially selected Roy Asotasi.
Personal life
editHe is a cousin to former Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles player Steve Matai.
In 2009, Sa'u was praised for coming to the aid of a 15-year-old girl who was being assaulted in Waratah, New South Wales.[16]
Statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Newcastle Knights
|
12 | 7 | 28 |
| 2009 | 25 | 6 | 24 | |
| 2010 | 20 | 7 | 28 | |
| 2011 | 21 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2013 |  Melbourne Storm
|
4 | 1 | 4 |
| 2014 |  Salford Red Devils
|
27 | 14 | 56 |
| 2015 | 23 | 6 | 24 | |
| 2016 | 32 | 18 | 72 | |
| 2017 | 24 | 9 | 36 | |
| 2018 | 28 | 11 | 44 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 1 | 4 | |
 Wakefield Trinity
|
3 | |||
 Leigh Leopards
|
6 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2020 | 6 | |||
| 2021 | 16 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2022 |  Keighley Cougars
|
8 | 9 | 36 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2024 | 21 | 13 | 52 | |
| 2025 | ||||
| Totals | 299 | 114 | 456 |
source:[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "New name, true allegiance for Sa'u". NRL.com. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Junior Sau Leigh Centurions". www.superleague.co.uk. Rugby Football League. 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ loverugbyleague
- ^ "Tafeaga Junior SAU". Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Junior SA'U". Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012.
- ^ "Cowboys' lifeline for Paterson". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Sa'u signs with Storm". Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ "Salford add a dash of Hot Sauce with Junior Sa'u". Manchester Evening News. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Leigh Centurions 28-34 Hull Kingston Rovers - visitors edge 62-point thriller". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Old Glory signs rugby league international Junior Sa'u". Americas Rugby News. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Gordon, James (9 June 2022). "Junior Sa'u makes move to League One leaders". LoveRugbyLeague. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ Chalk, Ethan Lee (25 December 2024). "Former Knights centre appointed captain of overseas team". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Samoa name World Cup Squad". League Unlimited. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "League: Chance for rookie Kiwis". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ Nick Walshaw (1 July 2009). "Newcastle Knights' Junior Sau hailed for saving girl's life". Fox Sports News (Australia). Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
- ^ "Junior Sa'u - Playing Career - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 27 December 2024.