Lusi Sione is a former 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...

 rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 player who played for Workington Town

Workington Town

Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team....

 and represented the Canterbury and New Zealand 'A'.

Playing career

Sione started his career in the Lion Red Cup

Lion Red Cup

The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a...

, playing for the Canterbury Country Cardinals

Canterbury Country Cardinals

The Canterbury Country Cardinals were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Canterbury in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. They were administered by the Canterbury Rugby League....

.

A Haswell Hornets club member, Sione represented New Zealand 'A' and played for the Canterbury Bulls

Canterbury Bulls

The Canterbury rugby league team are a rugby league team who represent the Canterbury Rugby League. They are currently nicknamed the Bulls but have previously had other nicknames such as the Reds. They are based at Rugby League Park in Christchurch....

 in the Bartercard Cup

Bartercard Cup

The Bartercard 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 Zealand Rugby League...

, being part of the Bulls' grand final wins in 2000 and 2003.

He spent the 2002 season with Wellington, after following coach Gerard Stokes

Gerard Stokes

Gerard James Stokes is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player who represented his country. He is currently the coach of the Serbian national side...

, but returned to Canterbury at the end of the year.

In 2004 he moved to England, playing for Workington Town

Workington Town

Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team....

. He spent two years in England and during this time trialled for the Wigan Warriors

Wigan Warriors

Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....

. However, because Sione will not play on Saturday due to religious beliefs he was not signed by the Super League

Super League

Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...

 club. Sione won the 2004 overseas player of the year award. Sione returned to New Zealand when his working visa expired in 2006.

Sione returned to the Bartercard Cup in 2006, again making the New Zealand Residents side.