Joseph Soosemea Taufeteʻe (born October 4, 1992)^[1] is an Americanrugby union player who plays as ahooker andprop for theHouston SaberCats inMajor League Rugby (MLR). A convertedAmerican football player, Taufeteʻe has also previously represented the United States by serving ascaptain of theUSA Selects. He also plays for theUnited States national team.

He previously played forLA Giltinis inMajor League Rugby,Lyon OU in France'sTop 14,Worcester Warriors andLeicester Tigers inPremiership Rugby and theSan Diego Breakers inPRO Rugby.

Joe Taufeteʻe was born on October 4, 1992^[1] inNuʻuuli, American Samoa^[2] and raised in theSan Francisco Bay Area^[3] after moving with his family toCalifornia at the age of five.^[2] OfSamoan descent, Taufeteʻe played American football as a youth and aspired to playing in theNFL.^[3] Taufeteʻe attendedSanta Ana College inSanta Ana, California and played atdefensive tackle for school's football team during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.^[3][4] Taufeteʻe earned multiple All-Conference honors during his time with the team,^[4] but anACL injury ended his aspirations of furthering his career in football.^[3]

Taufete'e began playing rugby with the Belmont Shore U-19 team while studying and playing American football at Santa Ana Community College.^[5] He then went to New Zealand to develop his rugby skills.

In early 2016, Taufete'e was signed to a professional contract by theSan Diego Breakers. In December 2016, Taufete'e signed a contract to theWorcester Warriors in theEnglish Premiership.^[6]

On February 26, 2020, Taufete signed for French sideLyon in theTop 14 ahead of the 2020–21 season.^[7] In March 2022, following the birth of his child in California, Taufete’e was granted release from Lyon and was subsequently signed by theLA Giltinis.^[8]

In August 2022 Taufete'e signed forLeicester Tigers in England'sPremiership Rugby.^[9] Head coachSteve Borthwick described Taufete'e as "a powerful player, in attack and defence".^[9] He made his debut on September 18, 2022 as a replacement in a 36-21 win overNewcastle Falcons atWelford Road. He featured 5 times before leaving Tigers in April 2023 to joinHouston SaberCats.

The uncapped Taufete'e was a surprise inclusion in the U.S. squad for the2015 Rugby World Cup.^[5] Taufete'e debuted for the United States at the 2015 Rugby World Cup againstSouth Africa.^[10] He also played for the U.S. at the2016,2017, and2019 Americas Rugby Championships. The USA star has made 22 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 20 tries. This surpasses formerIreland greatKeith Wood, a hooker, for the most international tries by any player in the tight five (i.e., either a hooker, prop, orlock).^[11]

Try	Opposing team	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score	Ref.
1	Chile	Lockhart Stadium,Fort Lauderdale	2016 Americas Rugby Championship	February 20, 2016	Won	64–0	[12]
2	Brazil	Athletic Club,São Paulo	2016 Americas Rugby Championship	February 27, 2016	Lost	23–24	[13]
3	Tonga	Anoeta Stadium,San Sebastián	Test match	November 19, 2016	Lost	17–20	[14]
4	Canada	Torero Stadium,San Diego	2019 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	July 1, 2017	Won	52–16	[15]
5
6	Germany	Brita-Arena;Wiesbaden[16]	Test match	November 18, 2017	Won	46–17	[17]
7	Georgia	Mikheil Meskhi Stadium,Tbilisi	Test match	November 25, 2017	Lost	20–21	[18]
8
9	Russia	Dick's Sporting Goods Park,Commerce City	Test match	June 9, 2018	Won	62–13	[19]
10
11	Scotland	BBVA Compass Stadium,Houston	Test match	June 16, 2018	Won	30–29	[20]
12
13	Samoa	Anoeta Stadium,San Sebastián	Test match	November 10, 2018	Won	30–29	[21]
14	Ireland	Aviva Stadium,Dublin	Test match	November 24, 2018	Lost	14–57	[22]
15	Chile	Estadio Santiago Bueras;Maipu	2019 Americas Rugby Championship	February 2, 2019	Won	71–8	[23]
16	Uruguay	Starfire Sports,Tukwila	2019 Americas Rugby Championship	March 2, 2019	Lost	25–32	[24]
17
18
19	Canada	Starfire Sports,Tukwila	2019 Americas Rugby Championship	March 9, 2019	Won	30–25	[25]
20
21	Canada	Infinity Park,Glendale, Colorado	2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	September 11, 2021	Won	38–16	[26]
22	Chile	Estadio Santa Laura-Universidad SEK,Santiago	2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	July 9, 2022	Won	22–21	[27]
23	Chile	Infinity Park,Glendale, Colorado	2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier	July 16, 2022	Lost	29–31	[28]

• Joe Taufete'e atEuropean Professional Club Rugby
• Joe Taufete'e atPremiership Rugby (archived)
• Joe Taufete'e at ESPNscrum (archived)
• Joe Taufete'e at ItsRugby.co.uk
• Joe Taufeteʻe onInstagram

• 1992 births
• Living people
• American rugby union players
• American expatriates in England
• United States international rugby union players
• Rugby union props
• Rugby union hookers
• San Diego Breakers players
• Worcester Warriors players
• American football defensive tackles
• People from Nuʻuuli
• Players of American football from American Samoa
• American people of Samoan descent
• Sportspeople of Samoan descent
• Lyon OU Rugby players
• LA Giltinis players
• Leicester Tigers players
• Houston SaberCats players
• Santa Ana College alumni
• 2015 Rugby World Cup players
• 2019 Rugby World Cup players
• Seattle Seawolves players
• American expatriate rugby union players in France
• American expatriate rugby union players in England
• American Samoan rugby union players
• New Orleans Gold players
• Pacific Islander American players of American football

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