Semisi Naevo
Encyclopedia
Ratu Meli Semisi Naevo Saukawa (born 3 May 1976 in Nawaka, Nadi, Fiji
) is a Fijian rugby union
player. He plays as a flanker
. His nickname is Mountain Bear. As such, he enjoys eating. His father, Joeli Lesavua, and two brothers, Apenisa and Manoa Naevo, are also Fiji reps.
. He is a strong tackler with good line-out skills, he also has the speed for sevens. His ball-hunting skills earned him his first cap in the 2006 Pacific 5 Nations tournament where he stalked the Samoans
from the side of the scrum to help Fiji win 23-20. He has made an excellent name for himself in the Fiji sevens team with outstanding performances in his first outing in Argentina
and Wellington
, 2002. He is a member of the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
team, his speed and aerial skills made him a menace. He was bestowed with the captaincy role for the last two tournaments of the 2005-06 IRB 7s Series, and it was fitting that he lifted the London Sevens
trophy and also the IRB sevens trophy
.
in Manchester
where Fiji won the silver medal when they were defeated by New Zealand
in the final after Fiji were reduced to 5 men for most of the game.
Semisi was also part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
where they won a bronze medal.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
) is a Fijian 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. He plays as a flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
. His nickname is Mountain Bear. As such, he enjoys eating. His father, Joeli Lesavua, and two brothers, Apenisa and Manoa Naevo, are also Fiji reps.
Career
He plays sevens for FijiFiji national rugby union team (sevens)
The Fiji Sevens side is one of the most popular and successful Sevens teams in the world and has won the Hong Kong Sevens a record nine times since its inception in 1976. Fiji has also won the Sevens World Cup twice, winning that event in 1997 and 2005...
. He is a strong tackler with good line-out skills, he also has the speed for sevens. His ball-hunting skills earned him his first cap in the 2006 Pacific 5 Nations tournament where he stalked the Samoans
Samoa 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...
from the side of the scrum to help Fiji win 23-20. He has made an excellent name for himself in the Fiji sevens team with outstanding performances in his first outing in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Wellington
Wellington Sevens
The Wellington Sevens or the New Zealand International Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Wellington, New Zealand. The tournament, the third on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit, is played at Wellington's Westpac Stadium in early February and includes teams from 16 countries...
, 2002. He is a member of the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
team, his speed and aerial skills made him a menace. He was bestowed with the captaincy role for the last two tournaments of the 2005-06 IRB 7s Series, and it was fitting that he lifted the London Sevens
London Sevens
The London Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held at Twickenham in London each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The current titleholders are Australia, who beat South Africa in the final at Twickenham on 23 May 2010.- External links :...
trophy and also the IRB sevens trophy
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
.
Commonwealth Games
He was also part of the 2002 Commonwealth Games2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
where Fiji won the silver medal when they were defeated by New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby union team (sevens)
The New Zealand national rugby union sevens team is the New Zealand representative team in rugby union sevens and competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-IRB Sevens:...
in the final after Fiji were reduced to 5 men for most of the game.
Semisi was also part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
where they won a bronze medal.