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| Born | Neemia Stanley Tialata (1982-07-15)15 July 1982 (age 43) Wainuiomata, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 136 kg (300 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wellington College, Parkway College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neemia Stanley Tialata (born 15 July 1982 inLower Hutt, New Zealand)[1] is a New Zealand formerrugby union footballer. He most recently played forRC Narbonne in thePro D2. Tialata also previously played forStade Toulousain in theTop 14. As well as representingNew Zealand All Blacks from 2005 to 2010, he also played for theHurricanes inSuper Rugby and forWellington in theITM/Air New Zealand Cup when available. Currently, Neemia serves as the Director of Rugby at Wellington College in Wellington, New Zealand - along with his former All Black teammatePiri Weepu, who serves as theWellington College 1st XV head coach.
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Tialata was born in Lower Hutt but moved, when he was one, toAmerican Samoa with his parents who were undergoing religious training in Kanana Fou Theological Seminary. The family returned to their vocation in New Zealand when Tialata was five with his late mother Sipoutasi, late father Rev. Pelema and sisters. He was the only boy and was the third child out of the four.
His father died after a year of serving at the CCCAS church in Porirua, New Zealand followed by his mother four years after. Tialata and his three sisters now reside with his aunt whom he now calls his mother (Nu'ulopa) and her five children whom Tialata also now considers his brothers and sisters.
Tialata debuted for Wellington in 2003 and was selected for the Hurricanes in 2004. Tialata thrust himself into theAll Blacks selection frame as a youngprop with his strong play throughout the 2005 season and made hisTest debut in the first match of the All BlacksHome Nations tour – against Wales – in November that year. He was dropped from the 2010 Tri Nations squad due to poor form.[2] In 2011, after 8 seasons with theHurricanes, he signed withTop 14 sideAviron Bayonnais. Formerly a loosehead prop, Tialata now concentrates his efforts on the tighthead side of the scrum but retains the valuable ability to cover both sides