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| Born | (1994-12-03)3 December 1994 (age 30) Neiafu, Tonga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 104 kg (16 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing,Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 31 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a professionaldual-coderugby footballer who plays as acentre forPremiership Rugby clubLeicester Tigers and theTonga national team.[2]
Prior to rugby union, Kata playedrugby league for theNew Zealand Warriors and was contracted to theMelbourne Storm in theNRL,[3] and also played forTonga andNew Zealand at the international level.
Kata was born inNeiafu,Tonga, and moved to New Zealand in 2011 on arugby union scholarship atSacred Heart College, Auckland.
Kata represented theTongan under-21 side.[4]
Kata switched torugby league in 2013, signing with the New Zealand Warriors. Kata played for the WarriorsHolden Cup team and was part of the side that lost the Grand Final 30–42 to thePenrith Panthers. Kata played in the2014 Auckland Nines with the first grade side, before returning to the under 20s competition.[5]
Kata played for the Warriors in the inauguralNRL Auckland Nines[6] At the end of the regular season, Kata played at centre in the2014 Holden Cup grand final, scoring a hat-trick in the Junior Warriors' 34–32 victory over theBrisbane Broncos juniors. Kata won theJack Gibson Medal as the grand final player of the match.[7]
Kata again played in the Warriors NRL Auckland Nines team in 2015 and was named in the team of the tournament.[8][9] In Round 1 of the2015 NRL season, Kata made his first gradeNRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against theNewcastle Knights on the wing in the Warriors' 14–24 loss atHunter Stadium.[10][11][12] In Round 2, against theCanberra Raiders, Kata scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors' 18–6 win atCanberra Stadium.[13] Kata finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in all of the Warriors 24 matches and being the top tryscorer with 12 tries in the2015 NRL season, while mid-year his contract was extended until the end of 2018.[14]
In February, Kata played for the Warriors in the2016 NRL Auckland Nines.[15] On 7 May, he played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016Polynesian Cup, where he played at centre and kicked 1 goal.[16]
In June 2017, Kata's older brother Tevita died in Tonga and Kata took a 3-week break from the game to return home to mourn with his family.[17] Kata returned in Round 19 against the Penrith Panthers, scoring 2 tries, dedicated to his brother in the 34–22 loss at Mt Smart Stadium.[18] Kata finished the2017 NRL season with him playing in 19 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Warriors.
Kata made 23 appearances for the Warriors in 2018, as the club returned to the finals for the first time since 2011, scoring 12 tries in total.
Kata was switched by the Warriors from left centre to right centre from the beginning of the season.[19] After playing 6 matches and scoring 2 tries, with his form falling away he was dropped to their reserve team in theNew South Wales Canterbury Cup. On 24 June it was announced that he had been granted an immediate release and had signed a contract with theMelbourne Storm until the end of the 2020 season.[20][21]
Kata returned to Rugby Union and begun playing for the Brumbies. In August 2022, Kata signed forPremiership Rugby sideExeter Chiefs.[22] The following year he announced his signing with theLeicester Tigers in England'sPremiership Rugby.[23]
On 20 October 2014 Kata made his international debut, playing forTonga in their end-of-year test-match againstPapua New Guinea.[24] On 2 May 2015, Kata played for Tonga againstSamoa in thePolynesian Cup, playing at centre and kicking 2 goals in Tonga's 16–18 loss atCbus Super Stadium.[25][26] On 8 September 2015, Kata was named in theNew Zealand Kiwis' training squad.[27] After not making the final New Zealand squad for the England tour, Kata played for Tonga in theirAsia-Pacific Qualifier match against theCook Islands for the2017 Rugby League World Cup.[28][29] He played at fullback, scored a try and kicked 4 goals in Tonga's 28–8 win atCampbelltown Stadium.[30]
He made hisNew Zealand debut and played in theFour Nations for his adopted country. On 5 November, in the Kiwis second test against Australia, Kata scored his first try for the Kiwis in the 14–8 win atRicoh Arena inCoventry.[31] On 20 November, Kata played in the Kiwis 2016 Four nations Final match against Australia, playing at centre in the 34–8 loss atAnfield.[32][33] Kata played in all 5 matches and scored 1 try in the tournament.
On 4 October 2017, Kata was selected in the 24-man squad forTonga for the2017 Rugby League World Cup.[34] Kata only played in 1 match for Tonga which was againstSamoa, Kata played at centre but broke his foot during the 32–18 victory over their pacific rivals atWaikato Stadium.[35] He scored a try in the historic first-ever Test match between Tonga and theAustralian Kangaroos on 20 October 2018, played in front of a sold-out crowd atMount Smart Stadium, Auckland.[36]
He made his test debut for Tonga in rugby union on 6 November 2021 in a 69–13 loss to England as part of theAutumn Nations Series[37]
