Sililo Martens
Encyclopedia
Sililo Victor Martens is a Tonga
n international rugby union
player.
which led to a professional rugby contract with English premiership side Worcester. From 2000 to 2002 he played for Swansea
in the Welsh Premiership. 2002 -2003 he joined fellow Welsh team Bridgend
. During the 2003/2004 Martens joined the short lived Welsh regional side Celtic Warriors. He played is his second Rugby World Cup in 2003 for Tonga. 2004-2008 moved back to the English premiership with Sale Sharks who went on to win the Guinness Premiership in 2006. In 2008 he played in the Pacific Islands Team
which toured the UK. The 2008/2009 season saw Martens return to Welsh rugby joining the Scarlets.
Martens position is scrum-half, he currently plays for Carmarthen Quins
, having mutually agreed that his contract with the Scarlets would be terminated in 2009. His previous clubs include Swansea, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors
and Sale Sharks
.
Martens played a small role in the film Invictus
along with fellow Tongan Epeli Taione
.
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...
n international 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...
player.
Career
Martens was born in Auckland New Zealand to a Tongan mother and Australian father. He spent most of his childhood in the Islands of Tonga where he was moved to Auckland New Zealand to start his education. His high school years were spent at Onehunga High where he went on to play rugby for Auckland and continued through the grades to reach New Zealand Schools status. In 1999 he played for Tonga in the Rugby World Cup1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
which led to a professional rugby contract with English premiership side Worcester. From 2000 to 2002 he played for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
in the Welsh Premiership. 2002 -2003 he joined fellow Welsh team Bridgend
Bridgend RFC
Bridgend Ravens are a semi-professional rugby union club based in Bridgend, South Wales. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division...
. During the 2003/2004 Martens joined the short lived Welsh regional side Celtic Warriors. He played is his second Rugby World Cup in 2003 for Tonga. 2004-2008 moved back to the English premiership with Sale Sharks who went on to win the Guinness Premiership in 2006. In 2008 he played in the Pacific Islands Team
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
which toured the UK. The 2008/2009 season saw Martens return to Welsh rugby joining the Scarlets.
Martens position is scrum-half, he currently plays for Carmarthen Quins
Carmarthen RFC
Carmarthen Quins Rugby Football Club are one of two Welsh rugby union clubs based in Carmarthen in West Wales, the other being Carmarthen Athletic. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division league after their promotion to the Premiership in the 2008/2009 season...
, having mutually agreed that his contract with the Scarlets would be terminated in 2009. His previous clubs include Swansea, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors
Celtic Warriors
The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, who played in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup between 2003 and 2004.-History:The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era...
and Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
.
Martens played a small role in the film Invictus
Invictus (film)
Invictus is a 2009 biographical sports drama film directed by Clint Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.The story is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World...
along with fellow Tongan Epeli Taione
Epi Taione
Epi Taione is a Tongan rugby union footballer who currently plays for London Welsh. He normally plays at centre but can cover wing or back row forward.-Rugby career:...
.