Rob Valetini

Rob Valetini (born 3 September 1998) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Brumbies in the Super Rugby competition [1] and has also been capped for Australia.[2] His usual position is in the back row.[3]

Rob Valetini
Birth nameRobert Valetini
Date of birth (1998-09-03) 3 September 1998
Place of birthMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight113 kg (249 lb; 17 st 11 lb)
SchoolWestall Secondary College
Rugby union career
Position(s) No. 8, Blindside flanker
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016
2017–pres.		 Melbourne Rising
Canberra Vikings		 1
7		 (0)
(25)
Correct as of 15 October 2017
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–pres. Brumbies 0 (0)
Correct as of 21 July 2017
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017
2019–pres.		 Australia U20
Australia		 5
1		 (0)
(0)
Correct as of 7 September 2019

Early life

The son of Fijian parents – father Manueli Valetini and mother Finau Valetini – the Melbourne-born Robert Valetini attended Westall Secondary College.[4][5] He played representative rugby for Victorian state teams at under 16, under 18 and under 20 levels.[3] A broken leg in his last year at school meant he missed a chance at selection for the 2016 Australian Schoolboys team,[6] but he was called up to play for the Melbourne Rising in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) later that season.[6]

Rugby career

While still at school, Valetini signed an Extended Playing Squad contract with the Brumbies for the 2017 season.[6] His parents told him the move to Canberra would give him valuable life experience and he was just the second Australian rugby forward to sign a Super Rugby contract while still a schoolboy.[7]

Valetini didn't play much rugby in the early part of his first year due to hand and ankle injuries, but he joined the Australia Under-20 team to play in the 2017 World Championship in Georgia.[2] In 2017, Valetini signed a two-year full-time Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies until 2019,[8] before playing NRC for the Canberra Vikings in 2017.[2]

He made his international debut for Australia at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney against Samoa in September 2019.[9]

References
  1. "Rob Valetini - Brumbies". Brumbies Rugby. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. "Rob Valetini". It's Rugby. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  3. "Rob Valetini". Ultimate Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  4. "Young Robert Valetini extends contract with Brumbies". Fijian Community Association Victoria. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. Dutton, Chris (29 December 2016). "ACT Brumbies rookie Rob Valetini hits like a freight train, but still learning to drive". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  6. "Schoolboy Robert Valentini called up to make his debut for Melbourne Rising". The Daily Telegraph. 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  7. Dutton, Chris (29 May 2017). "ACT Brumbies junior Rob Valetini wants to prove himself in Australian under-20s team". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. "Valetini signs until 2019". Rugby Australia. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  9. "Australia 34–15 Samoa". ESPN. 7 September 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.