Ita Vaea (born 9 February 1989) is a former Tongan rugby union player who played for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. His playing position was number eight. He made his Brumbies debut during the 2011 Super Rugby season against the Sharks in Canberra.
 Ita Vaea in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Ita Vaea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 February 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 119 kg (18 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vaea made 26 appearances for the Brumbies during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and signed a contract extension in 2012 to keep him in Canberra until 2014,[1] but was ruled out of the entire 2013 and 2014 Super Rugby season after a blood clot was discovered on his heart.[2][3][4] He returned to action for the Brumbies during the 2015 Super Rugby season, scoring four tries in seventeen appearances and signed a contract tying him to the Brumbies until 2017.[5] However, after starting four matches during the 2016 Super Rugby season, Vaea was forced to retire from rugby union following ongoing health issues relating to his heart.[6]
Vaea attended Nelson College from 2006 to 2007.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Brumbies re-sign four of their new stars". SuperXV. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ "Brumbies back-row Ita Vaea has been ruled out of the Super Rugby season". Sky Sports. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ "Vaea puts heart clot behind him". The Canberra Times. Rugby Heaven. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ "Ita Vaea's future at ACT Brumbies to be decided by doctors". The Sydney Morning Herald. Rugby Heaven. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ "Wallaby prospects Vaea, Arnold extend contracts" (Press release). Brumbies. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Ita Vaea announces immediate retirement from rugby" (Press release). Brumbies. 11 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "Good sports" (PDF). The Bulletin. Nelson College Old Boys' Association. November 2011. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2014.