Seilala Mapusua
Encyclopedia
Seilala Mapusua is a Samoa
n rugby player currently playing with the Kubota Spears
of the Japanese Top League
. Prior to his move to Japan in 2011, he also had long stints with the Highlanders in Super Rugby and London Irish
in the Aviva Premiership.
, New Zealand
and attended school at Wesley College
in Auckland moving south to join Otago for the 2000 provincial season. His strong performances for Otago saw him earn a contract with the Highlanders for the 2002 Super 12 season
and he remained a fixture for both Otago and the Highlanders through 2006. Noted for his punishing runs and strong tackling, by the time he left New Zealand he was only the fifth back to have played more than 50 games for the Highlanders.
for the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership
, and immediately established himself as a top player for the side, scoring 4 tries in 22 matches. He was named the team's top newcomer for his efforts.
In 2008-09
, he would have a towering season for London Irish, scoring 9 tries in 27 matches in all competitions and leading the club to the Premiership final. At the conclusion of the season he was named the PRA Players' Player of the Season.
He continued as a regular starter through 2011, and by the conclusion of his stay in London had played 125 games with the side including 91 Premiership matches and 23 Heineken Cup
contests.
for the 2011-12 season.
against Japan
on 17 June 2006 and represented Samoa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
He has also been selected to the touring Pacific Islanders
on three occasions.
Interestingly, both of his test tries have come against Wales
at the Millennium Stadium
- for the Pacific Islanders on 11 November 2006, and for Samoa on 13 November 2009.
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n rugby player currently playing with the Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
of the Japanese Top League
Top League
The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...
. Prior to his move to Japan in 2011, he also had long stints with the Highlanders in Super Rugby and London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
in the Aviva Premiership.
New Zealand
Mapusua grew up in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, 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...
and attended school at Wesley College
Wesley College, Auckland
Wesley College is a secondary school in Pukekohe, New Zealand. The school provides education from year 9 to 13.The school was founded by members of the Methodist Church in 1844, making it one of the country's oldest schools. Initially located in Grafton and then the Three Kings area of Auckland, it...
in Auckland moving south to join Otago for the 2000 provincial season. His strong performances for Otago saw him earn a contract with the Highlanders for the 2002 Super 12 season
2002 Super 12 season
The 2002 Super 12 season was the seventh season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2002, with each team playing all the others once...
and he remained a fixture for both Otago and the Highlanders through 2006. Noted for his punishing runs and strong tackling, by the time he left New Zealand he was only the fifth back to have played more than 50 games for the Highlanders.
England
Mapusua joined London IrishLondon Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
for the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership
2006-07 Guinness Premiership
The 2006–07 Guinness Premiership was the 20th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2006 and May 2007. It was announced during the 2005-06 season that the 2006-07 competition would end two weeks early due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in...
, and immediately established himself as a top player for the side, scoring 4 tries in 22 matches. He was named the team's top newcomer for his efforts.
In 2008-09
2008-09 Guinness Premiership
-Table:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9:-Round 10:-Round 11:-Round 12:-Rearranged fixtures:-Round 13:-Round 14:...
, he would have a towering season for London Irish, scoring 9 tries in 27 matches in all competitions and leading the club to the Premiership final. At the conclusion of the season he was named the PRA Players' Player of the Season.
He continued as a regular starter through 2011, and by the conclusion of his stay in London had played 125 games with the side including 91 Premiership matches and 23 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,...
contests.
Japan
In January 2011, Mapusua announced that he was signing in Japan with the Kubota SpearsKubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
for the 2011-12 season.
International Play
Mapusua made his debut for SamoaSamoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
against Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
on 17 June 2006 and represented Samoa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
He has also been selected to the touring Pacific Islanders
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...
on three occasions.
Interestingly, both of his test tries have come against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
- for the Pacific Islanders on 11 November 2006, and for Samoa on 13 November 2009.