Saia Fainga'a
Hooker
Profile
Height: 187cm
Weight: 108kg
Date Of Birth: 02/02/1987
Place of Birth: Queanbeyan, NSW
Club: Reds, QLDTest Rugby Debut: 2010 v Fiji, Canberra
Test Rugby Caps: 29 (Wallaby No.840)
Representative Honours: Australian Schools 2003-04, Australian Under-19s 2006, Australia Sevens 2008-2009, Australian Wallabies 2010-
Senior Tours: Hong Kong & Europe 2010, RWC (New Zealand) 2011, UK/Europe 2013
Queensland Reds hooker Saia Fainga’a returns to the Qantas Wallabies squad in 2014 following a strong Super Rugby season and an ongoing desire to play for his country.
His efforts during the 2014 season with the Queensland Reds have been rewarded with an opportunity to star in this year’s Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship and his experience in the gold jersey will be a valuable addition to the squad.
In 2013 the Queanbeyan-born talent featured in 11 out of a possible 15 matches played by the Qantas Wallabies.
His enthusiasm is always an invaluable part of any team and it’s a testament to Fainga’a that he has now accumulated 29 Test appearances despite going head-to-head with experienced hooker duo Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Although just seven of those have been starting roles, the 27-year-old has seldom let his country down when called on to perform.
This was again the case in last year’s June Test series, as Fainga’a was named in Australia’s squad to face The British & Irish Lions and eventually called from the bench as a replacement for Stephen Moore in the third Test.
In 2014, Fainga’a joined an exclusive club by playing in his 100th Super Rugby match.
Fainga’a provides a high work rate around the field, and is absolutely fearless in his approach to defensive duties. A twin, Saia is one half of a double act which has graced the Qantas Wallabies for the last three seasons, alongside his brother – Wallabies outside centre Anthony Fainga’a. The pair, who saddled up in tandem for the Qantas Wallabies for the first time four seasons ago; in 2011 became just the third set of twins to attend the Rugby World Cup - following on from Gary and Alan Whetton (New Zealand – 1987) and Marcello and Massimo Cuttitta (Italy – 1991). Saia appeared twice at that tournament, having featured earlier that year in three of the four Tests played as Australia claimed its first Tri Nations title for a decade.
The Tri Nations victory completed a notable season-double for Fainga’a, who had shared in the Queensland Reds’ ground-breaking Super Rugby title earlier that year. Success at Test level and in Super Rugby represented the ultimate reward for the brave move made by the brothers, when they shifted camp from the Brumbies to the Reds in 2009. The pair were lured north by their former national Under-19 mentor – the then Reds coach Phil Mooney – after having struggled for playing opportunities in their native Canberra.
With the former Red, Moore, heading the other way, Saia was able to establish himself as Queensland’s first choice hooker, heading off the competition of the long-serving Sean Hardman.
He shared, along with Anthony, the honour of becoming just the third set of twins to play for Australia following on from Stan and Jim Boyce and Mark and Glen Ella. That milestone was achieved when Anthony came off the bench to play his first Test during the Tri Nations loss to the All Blacks in Melbourne. Saia’s fifth start was earned a week later in the return match against the All Blacks in Christchurch on what was a significant night – both for the Fainga’a family, but also for all Indigenous Australians. Not only did the two brothers start alongside each other in a Test for the first time, the pair were two of a record four Indigenous players who featured in the Australian match night squad, with the others being fullback Kurtley Beale and replacement loose forward Matt Hodgson.
The Fainga’a brothers are the 40th set of brothers to appear for Australia, with their promise marked early: Saia captained the Australian team - which included Anthony - that won the last world Under-19 Championship in the United Arab Emirates in 2006. Saia had earlier been a junior representative in rugby league until he switched to Rugby while attending Canberra’s prestigious St Edmund’s College, twice making the Australian Schools team in 2003 and 2004.
As well as captaining Australia to success in the 2006 World Under-19 Championships, Fainga’a also made his Super Rugby debut that year in South Africa. He was 20 years old at the time. Twin brother Anthony made his Super Rugby debut a year later, aged 21, with the pair being out-done by their younger brother Colby, who made his debut off the bench for the Brumbies three years ago as an 18-year-old.
Height: 187cm
Weight: 108kg
Date Of Birth: 02/02/1987
Place of Birth: Queanbeyan, NSW
Club: Reds, QLDTest Rugby Debut: 2010 v Fiji, Canberra
Test Rugby Caps: 29 (Wallaby No.840)
Representative Honours: Australian Schools 2003-04, Australian Under-19s 2006, Australia Sevens 2008-2009, Australian Wallabies 2010-
Senior Tours: Hong Kong & Europe 2010, RWC (New Zealand) 2011, UK/Europe 2013
Queensland Reds hooker Saia Fainga’a returns to the Qantas Wallabies squad in 2014 following a strong Super Rugby season and an ongoing desire to play for his country.
His efforts during the 2014 season with the Queensland Reds have been rewarded with an opportunity to star in this year’s Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship and his experience in the gold jersey will be a valuable addition to the squad.
In 2013 the Queanbeyan-born talent featured in 11 out of a possible 15 matches played by the Qantas Wallabies.
His enthusiasm is always an invaluable part of any team and it’s a testament to Fainga’a that he has now accumulated 29 Test appearances despite going head-to-head with experienced hooker duo Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Although just seven of those have been starting roles, the 27-year-old has seldom let his country down when called on to perform.
This was again the case in last year’s June Test series, as Fainga’a was named in Australia’s squad to face The British & Irish Lions and eventually called from the bench as a replacement for Stephen Moore in the third Test.
In 2014, Fainga’a joined an exclusive club by playing in his 100th Super Rugby match.
Fainga’a provides a high work rate around the field, and is absolutely fearless in his approach to defensive duties. A twin, Saia is one half of a double act which has graced the Qantas Wallabies for the last three seasons, alongside his brother – Wallabies outside centre Anthony Fainga’a. The pair, who saddled up in tandem for the Qantas Wallabies for the first time four seasons ago; in 2011 became just the third set of twins to attend the Rugby World Cup - following on from Gary and Alan Whetton (New Zealand – 1987) and Marcello and Massimo Cuttitta (Italy – 1991). Saia appeared twice at that tournament, having featured earlier that year in three of the four Tests played as Australia claimed its first Tri Nations title for a decade.
The Tri Nations victory completed a notable season-double for Fainga’a, who had shared in the Queensland Reds’ ground-breaking Super Rugby title earlier that year. Success at Test level and in Super Rugby represented the ultimate reward for the brave move made by the brothers, when they shifted camp from the Brumbies to the Reds in 2009. The pair were lured north by their former national Under-19 mentor – the then Reds coach Phil Mooney – after having struggled for playing opportunities in their native Canberra.
With the former Red, Moore, heading the other way, Saia was able to establish himself as Queensland’s first choice hooker, heading off the competition of the long-serving Sean Hardman.
He shared, along with Anthony, the honour of becoming just the third set of twins to play for Australia following on from Stan and Jim Boyce and Mark and Glen Ella. That milestone was achieved when Anthony came off the bench to play his first Test during the Tri Nations loss to the All Blacks in Melbourne. Saia’s fifth start was earned a week later in the return match against the All Blacks in Christchurch on what was a significant night – both for the Fainga’a family, but also for all Indigenous Australians. Not only did the two brothers start alongside each other in a Test for the first time, the pair were two of a record four Indigenous players who featured in the Australian match night squad, with the others being fullback Kurtley Beale and replacement loose forward Matt Hodgson.
The Fainga’a brothers are the 40th set of brothers to appear for Australia, with their promise marked early: Saia captained the Australian team - which included Anthony - that won the last world Under-19 Championship in the United Arab Emirates in 2006. Saia had earlier been a junior representative in rugby league until he switched to Rugby while attending Canberra’s prestigious St Edmund’s College, twice making the Australian Schools team in 2003 and 2004.
As well as captaining Australia to success in the 2006 World Under-19 Championships, Fainga’a also made his Super Rugby debut that year in South Africa. He was 20 years old at the time. Twin brother Anthony made his Super Rugby debut a year later, aged 21, with the pair being out-done by their younger brother Colby, who made his debut off the bench for the Brumbies three years ago as an 18-year-old.