 | |||
| Nicknames | Tahiti Nui XV, Aito | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Fédération Tahitienne de Rugby de Polynésie Française | ||
| Head coach | Romi Ropati | ||
| Captain | Tunui Anania | ||
| Top scorer | Manuarii Richmond | ||
| Top try scorer | Manuarii Richmond | ||
| Home stadium | Stade Pater Te Hono Nui | ||
| |||
| World Rugby ranking | |||
| Current | 96 (as of 23 November 2020) | ||
| First international | |||
 Tahiti 0–3Wallis and Futuna  (1 September 1971) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Tahiti 36–12Solomon Islands  (26 August 2015) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Tahiti 9–102Fiji  (12 September 1983) | |||
TheTahiti national rugby union team is a third tierrugby union team, representing the island ofTahiti inFrench Polynesia, anoverseas collectivity ofFrance. They first played in 1971 and have played numerous games to date, most against rivalsCook Islands and several againstNiue. Other games have been played againstSamoa,Wallis and Futuna,Papua New Guinea andTonga.France played a match against Tahiti at the end of their1979 tour and won 92–12.[1] Plans to have annual "test" match series againstPacific island neighbours, New Caledonia have been put on hold, due to time, availability, finances, and coaching and refereeing resources. They have yet to qualify for theRugby World Cup. Rugby union in Tahiti is administered by theFédération Tahitienne de Rugby de Polynésie Française. Currently, players who have represented or played for theTahiti national rugby team, are eligible to representFrance. However, playing at a professional level can only enable this. At present there are several Tahitian professional rugby players abroad in France'sTop 14 andPro D2 professional competition.
Rugby is greatly growing in popularity in Tahiti, but the national sport still remains soccer.
Rugby came to Tahiti via three separate streams, firstly, through the visits of British, New Zealand and Australian sailors; secondly, through the French presence (many of the main teams are still French military); and thirdly through contact with neighbouring Pacific islands, where the game is popular.[2]
Tahiti first played the game in 1971.
It was founded in 1989 and became affiliated to theInternational Rugby Board in 1994.
It is also a full member ofOceania Rugby, which is the governing body for rugby union inOceania.
Up to 2003, Tahiti played in internationalrugby sevens (Pacific Games) and XV-a-side, in the qualifying rounds for theRugby World Cup.[3]
In 2006, there were fourteen clubs in the national championship and two divisions.[3] There were also sevens competitions, women's rugby, and under-18 rugby competitions as well.[3]
In 2017 Tahiti won theOceania Rugby Cup, beating their rivalsCook Islands at BCI Stadium inRarotonga, Cook Islands by a score of 13–9.
Tahiti's kit are typically All red with white tribal, designs, etc. They also can be seen using a white jersey with red tribal, designs, etc. In the past they have used all white kits with red as their secondary color, and also Red jersey with the Tahitian flag colors and black shorts.
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Main Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1971–1979 | — | |
| 1979–1980 | — | |
| 1980–1982 | — | |
| 1982–1983 | — | |
| 1982–1983 | — | |
| 1983–1997 | — | |
| 1997–2001 | — | |
| 2001–2003 | — | |
| 2003–2005 |  Puma | — |
| 2005–2006 | — | |
| 2006–2013 | — | |
| 2013–2015 | — | |
| 2015–present | Sportif JRH | Air Tahiti Nui |
Tahiti have played most of their home matches atStade Pater Te Hono Nui andStade Fautaua.
Tahiti has also hosted matches for numerousPacific Games andOceania Cup. They share these venues with theTahiti national football team and club sides from bothrugby andfootball.
Annually Tahiti hosts the Papeete International Sevens Tournament.
Tahiti competes in theOceania Cup which is played against seven other Pacific nations:American Samoa,Cook Islands,New Caledonia,Niue,Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands andVanuatu. Tahiti has competed in the very firstOceania Cup when it was created in 1997. Since 2015, Tahiti has played 4 matches against:Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands,American Samoa andCook Islands recording a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Their only loss was to2015 Oceania Cup ChampionsPapua New Guinea, and until this date, it has been their only loss since then. They placed second in the standings table and were Runner-up in the tournament. In 2017 they won theOceania Cup beating their rivalCook Islands in the2017 Oceania Cup Championship by a score of 9–13 inAvarua, Cook Islands.
Oceania tournaments
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match venue | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996* |  Cook Islands | round-robin |  Papua New Guinea | Rarotonga | [4] |
| 2002* | Papua New Guinea | 29–14 16–21 | Cook Islands | Port Moresby Rarotonga | [5] |
| 2003 |  Niue | round-robin | Cook Islands | Auckland Rarotonga | [6] |
| 2004 | Cook Islands | 50–5 | Niue | Rarotonga | [7][8] |
| 2005* | Cook Islands | 37–12 11–20 | Papua New Guinea | Rarotonga Port Moresby | [9] |
| 2006 | The final of the 2006 FORU Cup between Vanuatu and Niue was cancelled. | [10] | |||
Oceania Cup
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match venue | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007† | Papua New Guinea | 46–27 | Niue | Paliati,Alofi | [11] |
| 2008 | Niue | 27–5 |  New Caledonia | Nouméa | [12] |
| 2009* | Papua New Guinea | 29–21 | Cook Islands | Port Moresby | [13] |
| 2011 | Papua New Guinea | round-robin | Solomon Islands | Port Moresby | [14] |
| 2013* | Cook Islands | round-robin | Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | [15] |
| 2015 | Papua New Guinea | round-robin | Tahiti | Port Moresby | [16] |
| 2017* | Tahiti | 13–9 | Cook Islands | Rarotonga | [17] |
| 2019 | Papua New Guinea | round-robin | Niue | Port Moresby | [18] |
Notes:
| Rugby World Cup record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Qualification status | ||||||
  1987 | Not Invited | ||||||
    1991 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
 1995 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 1999 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 2003 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 2007 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
| 2011 | Did Not Enter | ||||||
| 2015 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||
 2019 | Disqualified | ||||||
| 2023 | Suspended | ||||||
| 2027 | Did Not Enter | ||||||
 2031 | To be determined | ||||||
Tahiti are currently ranked 84th on theWorld Rugby Rankings table.[19]
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American Samoa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cook Islands | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| France | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
 Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| New Caledonia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Niue | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
 Samoa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Solomon Islands | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
 Tonga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 29 | 7 | 22 | 0 |
Tahiti Nui XV "Aito"
Head coach:Romi Ropati
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Lahille | Hooker | (1990-03-20)20 March 1990 (age 35) | L'Isle-Jourdain |
| Martin Taeae | Prop | (1991-07-24)24 July 1991 (age 34) | Valence-d'Agen |
| Patrick Tevero | Prop | (1993-12-02)2 December 1993 (age 31) | La Roche-sur-Yon |
| Angus Chales | Prop | (1993-11-28)28 November 1993 (age 31) | Pirae |
| Brandon Tihata | Prop | (1996-04-29)29 April 1996 (age 29) | Le Mans |
| Loic Tautu | Forward | (1983-09-13)13 September 1983 (age 42) | Arue |
| Jean Tautu | Forward | (2000-06-19)19 June 2000 (age 25) | |
| Torea Morou | Lock | (1991-08-09)9 August 1991 (age 34) | Chartres |
| Lehi Tematafaarere | Lock | (1989-07-29)29 July 1989 (age 36) | Chartres |
| Andrew Vanaa | Back Row | (1989-12-23)23 December 1989 (age 35) | Isle |
| Haley Teuira | Flanker | (1986-04-16)16 April 1986 (age 39) | Pirae |
| Tunui Anania (c) | Flanker | (1989-04-07)7 April 1989 (age 36) | Valence-d'Agen |
| Manuarii Richmond | Number 8 | (1988-04-14)14 April 1988 (age 37) | Faʻaʻā |
| Guillaume Brouqui | Scrum-half | (1985-07-21)21 July 1985 (age 40) | Trélissac |
| Raihau Taurei | Scrum-half | (1994-11-28)28 November 1994 (age 30) | Pirae |
| Andoni Jimenez | Fly-half | (1989-08-03)3 August 1989 (age 36) | Nantes |
| Anthony Tesquet | Fly-half | (1986-02-17)17 February 1986 (age 39) | La Teste-de-Buch |
| Ganaham Huuti | Back | (1997-10-03)3 October 1997 (age 28) | |
| Teariki Wong Sung | Back | (1993-02-24)24 February 1993 (age 32) | Le Mans |
| Tamahao Opeta | Centre | (1997-10-29)29 October 1997 (age 28) | |
| Mathieu Taulelle | Centre | (1992-01-23)23 January 1992 (age 33) |  La Hulpe |
| Taitearii Mahuru | Centre | (1989-12-21)21 December 1989 (age 35) | Pirae |
| Vincent Perez | Wing | (1989-04-17)17 April 1989 (age 36) | Tournon-d'Agenais |
| James Tekurio | Wing | (1984-05-05)5 May 1984 (age 41) | Muret |
| Makalea Foliaki | Wing | (1996-09-24)24 September 1996 (age 29) | Cognac Saint-Jean-d'Angély |
| Jean-Teiva Jacquelain | Wing | (1994-04-22)22 April 1994 (age 31) | Mont-de-Marsan |
| François Tardieu | Fullback | (1995-02-01)1 February 1995 (age 30) | Valence-d'Agen |
| Cedric Martin | Fullback | (1989-06-29)29 June 1989 (age 36) | FCTT |
| Player | Notability |
|---|---|
| Jean-Teiva Jacquelain | Played forToulon(Academy) andLa Rochelle inTop 14 andGrenoble(Pro D2), currently playing withMont-de-Marsan inPro D2 andFrance 7s |
| Timi Frogier | |
| Richard Mapuhi | Played for French ClubPau inPro D2 (49 caps, 1990–1994) |
| Tauirai Bessert | |
| Apolosi Foliaki | |
| Makalea Foliaki | Played forToulon(Academy) inTop 14, now playing withCognac Saint-Jean-d'Angély inNationale, he is the son of former player Apolosi Foliaki. |
| Tihoti Tamarono | |
| François Tardieu | Played forAgen(Top 14),Colomiers(Pro D2, Now plays withValence d’agen(Fédérale 1) |
Vakatini Atuahiva (JJ) Played for Counties Manukau Steeelers NZ 1982, 1991–1995: Manawatu 1984–1990 NZ:, NZ All Black Colts 1982 & 1984:
NZ Divisional XV 1993: NZ Maori All Black 1994: Cook Island 7s and XV
These players were capped forTahiti in an invitational match againstFrance to celebrate Bastille Day inPapeete on 14 July 1981:
