Alfie Mafi (born 8 June 1988) is an Australian professional rugby union football player of Tongan descent. His usual position is wing. Mafi has represented Australia in rugby sevens and at under-19 level at the IRB World Championships. He previously played Super Rugby for the Waratahs, Brumbies, and Force. He currently plays in the French Top 14 league for Brive.
| Birth name | Alifeleti Mafi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 June 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tongatapu, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Granville High School, NSW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editMafi was born in Tongatapu, Tonga and moved to Australia with his family in 1997.[1] He attended Granville Boys High School in Sydney and played for the Australian Schoolboys rugby team in 2006.[2] He is the younger brother of Winston Mafi.[3]
Rugby career
editMafi was a member of the New South Wales Waratahs squad in 2007, and played for the Sydney Fleet in the Australian Rugby Championship.[1] He played for Australia at the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship in Belfast in 2007 and scored the try that sealed the win over Wales in the play-off for third place.[1][4]
He was also selected for the Australian Sevens squad during the 2007–08 IRB Sevens World Series, playing in the Dubai and South Africa tournaments.[5]
Mafi made his Super 14 debut for the Waratahs in 2008 and was selected for the Australia under 20 team later that year but was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.[1]
He moved to the Brumbies where he has played in 2009 and 2010.[1] Mafi joined the Force where he played from 2011 to 2013.[6] Despite strong performances in 2013, he was axed mid-season for "a number of infringements of team standards and disciplinary indiscretions".[7][8]
It was reported that he would join Japanese Top League side Honda Heat but he finally signed with Brive on a one-year deal with a one-year option.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Western Force profile". RugbyWA. 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.
- ^ "Nurseries of Australian Schoolboys' Rugby" (PDF). Australian Schools Rugby Union. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF 0.8 MB) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ Jamie Pandaram (27 July 2007). "Tongan passes always stick - Mafi reveals secret behind his rapid rise". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 32 – via EBSCOHost.
- ^ "Australia announce strong U20s squad". Scrum.com. 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Australian Rugby. 2008. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF 7.6 MB) on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "Mafi makes the move to Perth for Super Rugby". Super XV. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Mafi released from Emirates Western Force". RugbyWA Media Unit. Western Force. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Western Force axe wayward Alfie Mafi over disciplinary breaches". Daily Telegraph. AAP. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Try-scorer Alfie Mafi set to leave Western Force at season's end". The Sunday Times. PerthNow. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
External links
edit- Alfie Mafi at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series (archived)
- "Western Force profile". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.
- itsrugby.co.uk profile