Fakahau_Valu
Fakahau Valu
Tongan rugby union footballer and coach
Fakahau Valu (born July 1, 1950) is a former Tongan rugby union player. He played as a flanker.
| Birth name | Fakahau Valu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1950-07-01) July 1, 1950 (age 73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fo'ui, Tongatapu. Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Tupou College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Asaeli Ai Valu (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He made his debut against the Māori All Blacks in 1973. Valu captained Tonga at the 1987 Rugby World Cup, he played his last game against Ireland. He was a member of the Tongan squad that handed Australia a shocking 16–11 defeat on June 30, 1973, at Ballymore Stadium.[1]
He coached Tonga at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.[2]
In 2009, Valu was inducted into IRB's Pathway of Fame.[3] In 2008, Valu was awarded with the Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III[4] and a year later, he was inducted to the Tongan National Sports Hall of Fame along with Kitione Lave, Paea Wolfgram, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, Tali Kavapalu and Motuliki Kailahi.[5] Valu is also a member of the organising committee for the 2019 Pacific Games.[6]
His son, Asaeli Ai Valu is also a rugby union player, who represents Japan at international level.[7]
- National honours
Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III, Commander (31 July 2008).[8]
- David Leggat & Dylan Cleaver (July 22, 2011). "Top 10 shock rugby upsets etched in the memory". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- "RUGBY UNION". The Independent. April 18, 1995. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- "Tonga Prime Minister in Wellington for rugby event to mark two years to World Cup kick off". Radio New Zealand. September 8, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangitonga. August 1, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "Seven named for the National Sports Hall of Fame". Matangitonga. December 8, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "Calls on Prime Minister and government to ease tensions over the future of the Pacific Games 2019 – TBC". Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "Live it TONGA : Son of Former National Rugby Player Fakahau Valu & Lioneti, now living in Japan". www.facebook.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.