Namatahi Waa
Date of birth (1990-09-24) 24 September 1990
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight119 kg (18 st 10 lb; 262 lb)
SchoolTe Aute College
Occupation(s)Rugby player / Arborist
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Hawke's Bay, Austin Gilgronis
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014−2017 Northland 29 (10)
2016 Blues 3 (0)
2019− Hawke's Bay 21 (10)
2022− Austin Gilgronis 10 (5)
Correct as of 6 June 2022

Namatahi Waa (born 24 September 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a prop for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship competition[1] and Austin Gilgronis in the Major League Rugby (MLR).[2]

Early career

Waa hails from Pīpīwai in the Northland Region in New Zealand.[3] For his final years of high school (2008-2010) he attended Te Aute College in Hawke's Bay; while there, he played for the college's First XV.[4] He also played for the Hawke's Bay under-18 and under-19 representative teams.

After finishing secondary school, Waa returned home to Northland, but later moved to Auckland where he was named in the Auckland Juniors (U21) squad in 2012[5] and Auckland B squad in 2013.[6]

In February 2014, he was - for the first time - named in the Blues Development squad.[7]

Senior career

In 2014, Waa turned down a contract with Auckland and instead signed with the Northland Rugby Union for the 2014 ITM Cup season.[8] He made his provincial debut for Northland on 17 August 2014 against Manawatu.[9] In that and the following three seasons, he played a total of 29 games for the Taniwha.

On 28 October 2015, Waa was named in the Blues wider training group ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.[10] He made his Blues and Super Rugby debut, off the bench, on 8 April 2015 against the Chiefs.[11] He played two more games for the Blues.[12]

In 2019, Waa returned to Hawke's Bay and played for Taradale Rugby and Sports in the province's club rugby competition, hoping to make the Magpies squad.[13] On 5 August 2019, he was named in the Hawke's Bay squad for the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season.[14] He made his Magpies debut against Manawatu on 11 August 2019.[15]

International

In 2016, Waa - who is of Ngāpuhi descent - was called into the Māori All Blacks squad for their Northern tour to Chicago, Limerick and London as an injury replacement for Mike Kainga,[16] but didn't get named in the teams to play the United States, Munster and Harlequins.

References

  1. ↑ "2021 Magpies Squad". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Austin Gilgronis". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Maori All Blacks update with Namatahi Waa". allblacks.com. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Waa's comeback is one to treasure". Hawke's Bay Today. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "2012 Auckland Juniors squad". Auckland Rugby. August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "2013 Auckland Bs squad". Auckland Rugby. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "2014 Blues development squad named". Blues. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "2014 Northland ITM Cup squad announced". Northland Rugby Union. 19 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Nine nervous newbies set". The Northern Advocate. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "Blues 2016 Squad Guide" (PDF). Blues. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Match centre: Chiefs v Blues". SANZAAR. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Namatahi Waa Blues Player Profile". Blues. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Villagers book semifinal berth for first time in three years". Hawke's Bay Today. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  14. ↑ "Magpies 2019 Mitre 10 Cup Squad Named". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Match centre: Manawatu v Hawke's Bay". Fox Sports. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. ↑ New Zealand Rugby [@NZRugby] (28 October 2016). "NEWS: A calf injury has ruled Taranaki's Mike Kainga out of the Maori @AllBlacks squad; replaced by Northland's Namatahi Waa (Ngapuhi)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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