Rua Tipoki
Encyclopedia
Te Rua Reihana Tipoki brought up in Te Araroa
in Gisborne
, is a retired rugby union
player who has played for North Harbour
in the Air New Zealand Cup
and for the Auckland Blues in the Super 14
. Tipoki also played for Irish provincial side Munster
until 2009. His position was outside centre. Tipoki holds the unique honour of captaining two different Air New Zealand Cup provinces to Ranfurly Shield
victories, Bay of Plenty
in 2004, and North Harbour
in 2006.
He has also played for the Otago Highlanders, New Zealand 7s in 1997, and the New Zealand Maori
team which defeated the British and Irish Lions
team for the first time ever in the history of Maori rugby in 2005. He has also played for his home Union East Coast.
With Munster, he has fashioned one of the best centre partnerships in the Heineken Cup
with Lifeimi Mafi
. He played in the Munster team that won the Heineken Cup on May 24, 2008 beating Toulouse 16-13 in the final. He plays with passion and flair, with a strong tackle and a great handoff and step. He has also stated that his only complaint since moving to Munster is that he had not done so sooner. In all he made 29 appearances (including 27 competitive & 10 Heineken Cup games) for Munster, scoring 3 tries.
Tipoki stated:
"It has been a deeply frustrating time for me as I would dearly love to get back to helping the boys achieve the goals that they'd set out at the start of the year".
"At the minute however, I am not up to the level of fitness required and would not like to do the jersey or the team an injustice by taking the field when I know I can't give my all.
"This time in Munster has been brilliant for me and my family and while there is only one place you can call home, we will leave Munster with some great memories and having made lifelong friends."
based team, East Coast Rugby Football Union
In the match against North Otago Rugby Football Union
on the 20th August, Tipoki was red carded.
Te Araroa
Te Araroa is a township in the Gisborne region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 175 km north of Gisborne city, along State Highway 35 between Tokata and Awatere. Te Araroa is the birthplace of noted Māori politician Sir Apirana Ngata. Māori in the area are generally...
in Gisborne
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
, is a retired 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 who has played for North Harbour
North Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union , commonly referred to colloquially as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is a provincial rugby team which competes in the ITM Cup , the successor to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship .-Area:Harbour Rugby encompasses a...
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...
and for the Auckland Blues in the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
. Tipoki also played for Irish provincial side Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
until 2009. His position was outside centre. Tipoki holds the unique honour of captaining two different Air New Zealand Cup provinces to 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...
victories, Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island...
in 2004, and North Harbour
North Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union , commonly referred to colloquially as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is a provincial rugby team which competes in the ITM Cup , the successor to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship .-Area:Harbour Rugby encompasses a...
in 2006.
He has also played for the Otago Highlanders, New Zealand 7s in 1997, and the New Zealand Maori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
team which defeated the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team for the first time ever in the history of Maori rugby in 2005. He has also played for his home Union East Coast.
With Munster, he has fashioned one of the best centre partnerships in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
with Lifeimi Mafi
Lifeimi Mafi
Lifeimi Mafi is a Tongan rugby union player, who currently plays for the Irish side Munster in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.-Career in New Zealand:...
. He played in the Munster team that won the Heineken Cup on May 24, 2008 beating Toulouse 16-13 in the final. He plays with passion and flair, with a strong tackle and a great handoff and step. He has also stated that his only complaint since moving to Munster is that he had not done so sooner. In all he made 29 appearances (including 27 competitive & 10 Heineken Cup games) for Munster, scoring 3 tries.
Munster Career over
On 24 April 2009 Tipoki announced that he would return to his Native New Zealand at the end of the season due to being unable to recover from a hamstring injury. The 33-year-old centre was a key figure in Munster's challenge on the Heineken Cup title in the 2007/2008 season but was consistently hampered by the hamstring injury and did not represent Munster since a defeat to Ulster in January 2009.Tipoki stated:
"It has been a deeply frustrating time for me as I would dearly love to get back to helping the boys achieve the goals that they'd set out at the start of the year".
"At the minute however, I am not up to the level of fitness required and would not like to do the jersey or the team an injustice by taking the field when I know I can't give my all.
"This time in Munster has been brilliant for me and my family and while there is only one place you can call home, we will leave Munster with some great memories and having made lifelong friends."
East Coast Comeback
Tipoki made a Rugby Union comeback in 2011 after a couple of years of recuperation in New Zealand. He signed for the RuatoriaRuatoria
The town of Ruatoria is located in the East Coast region of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second largest centre of population in the sparsely populated region, yet has a population of only 900 .- Geography :...
based team, East Coast Rugby Football Union
East Coast Rugby Football Union
The East Coast Rugby Football Union is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located on the East Coast of the North Island, based in Ruatoria. It is the smallest Union in New Zealand in the sense of player numbers and population base...
In the match against North Otago Rugby Football Union
North Otago Rugby Football Union
The North Otago Rugby Football Union is a New Zealand rugby union province based in Oamaru and current holders of the Meads cup, the top trophy in the Heartland Championship. They are one of the strongest teams in The Heartland Championship, winning the Meads Cup section of the competition in its...
on the 20th August, Tipoki was red carded.