Joe Tuineau
Encyclopedia
Joe Tuineau is a rugby union
footballer and a former American football
player. He plays as a lock for Southland in the ITM Cup and for the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition. Although he was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand
, he represents Tonga
internationally. His partner is Southern Steel
and Silver Ferns
goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti
.
in Auckland but dropped the sport for several years to pursue a career in American football
. He returned to New Zealand
in mid-2008, and two days after arriving he represented Woodlands
in the Galbraith Shield final. He trained heavily to lose excess weight and gain fitness, and played most of the 2008 season with the Southland Development team before getting into late season games off the bench in the Air New Zealand Cup
for Southland.
In 2009 he became a regular starter with the Stags in the Air New Zealand Cup
, appearing in all but one of the team's 14 games. He was a key figure in Southland's Ranfurly Shield
win against Canterbury, ending the fifty year drought for the province
. He finished the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
with a team high four tries and was selected for the 2010
Highlanders squad.
He continued as a starter for Southland during their extended defense of the Ranfurly Shield in the 2010 ITM Cup
. He appeared in the first 5 matches of the 2011 ITM Cup
, helping the province to another Ranfurly Shield triumph, before leaving to join the Tongan national side in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
. He didn't make his debut until the team's 6th match of the season, but an injury to starting lock Tom Donnelly
saw an increase in playing time, and he appeared as a substitute in 7 of the final 8 games of the year.
Although he was again included in the Highlanders squad for the 2011 Super Rugby season, he found himself on the fringes of the squad and didn't feature in any matches over the course of the season.
, Tuineau declared his intention to represent Tonga
, and made his debut against Fiji
on 2 July 2011.
where he played tight end
in the college's American football
side. During his time playing football, he weighed a maximum of 131 kilogram. He played a four seasons for the Redhawks making 61 catches for a total career yard count of 772 at an average of 12.7 yards per catch with one touchdown
. After going undrafted in the 2008 National Football League Draft
. He then trained with the Jacksonville Jaguars
, New York Jets
and the New York Giants
but failed to get a National Football League
contract. After weighing up his options in 2008 he returned to New Zealand
to pursue a rugby union
career after signing a two-year deal Southland.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer and a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He plays as a lock for Southland in the ITM Cup and for the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition. Although he was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, he represents Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
internationally. His partner is Southern Steel
Southern Steel
The Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The franchise was formed as an amalgamation of two teams from the National Bank Cup, the Dunedin-based Otago Rebels and the Invercargill-based Southern Sting...
and Silver Ferns
Silver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti
Daneka Wipiiti
Daneka Wipiiti is a New Zealand international netball player. She is currently in the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and plays with the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship....
.
Provincial Rugby
Tuineau was a rugby and track star at King's CollegeKing's College, Auckland
King's College is an independent secondary school in New Zealand. It was originally a boys-only school but now also admits girls in the sixth and seventh forms . The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of...
in Auckland but dropped the sport for several years to pursue a career in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He returned to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in mid-2008, and two days after arriving he represented Woodlands
Woodlands Rugby Club
Woodlands Rugby Club is an amateur rugby team that plays in the ILT Southland Wide Premier Division. They have recently been investigated for buying players off other clubs. The team has many Stags stars such as Robbie Robinson, Joe Tuineau and Pehi Te Whare...
in the Galbraith Shield final. He trained heavily to lose excess weight and gain fitness, and played most of the 2008 season with the Southland Development team before getting into late season games off the bench in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
for Southland.
In 2009 he became a regular starter with the Stags in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
, appearing in all but one of the team's 14 games. He was a key figure in Southland's Ranfurly Shield
Ranfurly Shield
The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies...
win against Canterbury, ending the fifty year drought for the province
Southland Province
The Southland Province was a province of New Zealand from March 1861 until the province rejoined with Otago Province in 1870.-History:When provinces were formed in 1853, the southern part of New Zealand belonged to Otago Province...
. He finished the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
2009 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup was the 33rd provincial rugby union competition, the fourth since the competition reconstruction in 2006, involving the top 14 provincial unions in New Zealand. It ran for 15 weeks from 30 July to 7 November...
with a team high four tries and was selected for the 2010
2010 Super 14 season
The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one...
Highlanders squad.
He continued as a starter for Southland during their extended defense of the Ranfurly Shield in the 2010 ITM Cup
2010 ITM Cup
The 2010 ITM Cup was the 34th provincial rugby union competition, the fifth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the first under the new sponsor of ITM , involving the top 14 provincial unions of New Zealand...
. He appeared in the first 5 matches of the 2011 ITM Cup
2011 ITM Cup
The 2011 ITM Cup is the 35th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand, the sixth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the second under the new sponsor of ITM ....
, helping the province to another Ranfurly Shield triumph, before leaving to join the Tongan national side in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
Super Rugby
Tuineau's strong showings with Southland earned him a contract with the Highlanders for the 2010 Super 14 season2010 Super 14 season
The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one...
. He didn't make his debut until the team's 6th match of the season, but an injury to starting lock Tom Donnelly
Tom Donnelly
Thomas Mathew Donnelly is a rugby union player who plays for the Crusaders Super Rugby team, and provincial rugby for Otago. He has also made 15 appearances for the All Blacks since 2009.-Provincial Rugby:...
saw an increase in playing time, and he appeared as a substitute in 7 of the final 8 games of the year.
Although he was again included in the Highlanders squad for the 2011 Super Rugby season, he found himself on the fringes of the squad and didn't feature in any matches over the course of the season.
International Play
In the leadup to the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, Tuineau declared his intention to represent Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
, and made his debut against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
on 2 July 2011.
Football career
Tuineau first played football in New Zealand for South Auckland Raiders than attended Southeast Missouri State UniversitySoutheast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...
where he played tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in the college's American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
side. During his time playing football, he weighed a maximum of 131 kilogram. He played a four seasons for the Redhawks making 61 catches for a total career yard count of 772 at an average of 12.7 yards per catch with one touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. After going undrafted in the 2008 National Football League Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He then trained with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
but failed to get a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
contract. After weighing up his options in 2008 he returned to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to pursue a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
career after signing a two-year deal Southland.
| Year | Team | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Southeast Missouri State University | 8 | 0 | 9 | 70 | 7.8 | 18 | 0 |
| 2005 | Southeast Missouri State University | 11 | 10 | 25 | 305 | 12.2 | 24 | 0 |
| 2006 | Southeast Missouri State University | 10 | 4 | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 19 | 0 |
| 2007 | Southeast Missouri State University | 11 | 11 | 21 | 334 | 15.9 | 35 | 1 |
| CAREER | 40 | 25 | 61 | 772 | 12.7 | 35 | 1 |