Tu Tamarua
Encyclopedia
Tu Tamarua is a former Cook Islands
rugby union
flanker
.
, in Australia
, from 1997 to 1999. He later played for NEC Harlequins, in England
, for 2001/02 but missed a portion of the season due to injury. He then played for Swansea
, in Wales
, for 2002/03, moving to Northland
, in New Zealand
, in 2003. He moved again to Henley Hawks
, in 2004, then to Rotherham
, in January 2005. In June 2005, he was assigned for Pertemps Bees. His last season was at Pontypridd
, in 2006/07.
Tamarua played for Australia
Sevens, in 2000, but played instead for the Cook Islands national rugby union team
. He was the first and still the only Cook Islands player to have been selected and played for the Pacific Islanders
, in 2004.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
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...
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...
.
Career
Tamarua played for Queensland RedsQueensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, from 1997 to 1999. He later played for NEC Harlequins, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, for 2001/02 but missed a portion of the season due to injury. He then played for Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, for 2002/03, moving to Northland
Northland Rugby Union
The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
, in 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...
, in 2003. He moved again to Henley Hawks
Henley Hawks
Henley Rugby Club is a rugby union club based in Henley-on-Thames, that is the leading rugby club in the Thames Valley...
, in 2004, then to Rotherham
Rotherham R.U.F.C.
Rotherham Rugby Union Football Club, or Rotherham Titans are a professional rugby union team from Rotherham, Yorkshire, currently playing in the English RFU Championship-History:...
, in January 2005. In June 2005, he was assigned for Pertemps Bees. His last season was at Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, in 2006/07.
Tamarua played for Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
Sevens, in 2000, but played instead for the Cook Islands national rugby union team
Cook Islands national rugby union team
The Cook Islands is a third tier rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby in the early 1971. Thus far, the Cook Islands have not made an appearance at any of the World Cups.-History:...
. He was the first and still the only Cook Islands player to have been selected and played for the 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...
, in 2004.