Samu Manoa (born March 5, 1985) is an American rugby union player who plays for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby (MLR). Manoa was described in 2014 by ESPNscrum.com as "perhaps the finest No. 8 playing the game in the northern hemisphere."[3] He retired from international rugby in 2019 with 22 caps.[4]
Manoa was born in Concord, California, but spent several years in Tonga and Hawaii during his childhood.[5] He started playing rugby at 13 years old with his family.[6] His coaches through his early years were his father and his uncle, Va'inga Manoa and Hu'ufifale (himself a rugby star in his youth in Tonga before emigrating to Hawaii). Manoa played for San Francisco Golden Gate RFC from 2003-2011. He helped SFGG win the U.S. Rugby Super League in 2009 and 2011.[5] In his final game for the Golden Gate, Manoa again showed his nose for the tryline, opening the scoring as his side claimed the title once more. San Francisco Golden Gate were national runners up in 2010.
Professional rugbyedit
English Premiershipedit
Manoa playing for Northampton in 2013
In April 2011 Manoa signed for English Premiership side Northampton Saints for the 2011–12 season. Northampton were impressed with his ball skills, pace and physicality.[7] In autumn 2011 Manoa hit the ground running for the Saints with a series of powerful performances in the early rounds of Premiership Rugby and worked himself into Northampton's starting rotation. A series of outstanding performances earned him man of the match awards in wins over Castres and Harlequins, and the big second row fast became an integral part of the Saints squad. Over the course of the 2011-12 season, Manoa played in 18 Premiership games for the Saints, with 14 starts.[8] Manoa was named by ESPN to the 2011-12 Premiership "Dream Team."[9]
On February 15, 2012 Manoa signed a three-year contract extension with Northampton Saints.[10] He was honoured with the Northampton Saints Supporters' Player of the Year for the 2012-13 Premiership season.[11] During the 2013-14 season Manoa replicated his success and subsequently was short-listed for the RPA Player's Player of the Year award[12] and the Premiership Player of the Year.[13] Furthermore, for the second year in succession Manoa was voted the Saints Supporters' Player of the Season.[14] In 2014 Manoa started as Northampton beat Saracens to win the Premiership.[15] He achieved his first English Premiership hat trick on October 11, 2014 as Northampton dominated Sale Sharks 43-10.[16] Just two months later he achieved another hat trick in a substitute appearance in which Saints drubbed Benetton Treviso 67-0 in the European Rugby Champions Cup.[17] On the back of several strong performances in the Premiership and Champions Cup, Manoa won the Premiership Player of the Month for December 2014.[18]
Top 14edit
On December 21, 2014, Toulon owner, Mourad Boudjellal confirmed that Manoa signed with Toulon on a four-year contract, the first type of contract to be offered by the club.[19] One week after making his debut for Toulon, Manoa scored his first try for the club in their 52-8 win over Montpellier in November 2015.[20]
Major League Rugbyedit
Manoa has played with the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby since 2019.
Internationalsedit
United States national teamedit
Manoa played six matches with the U.S. Select XV and the USA A sides from 2009 to 2010, including Americas Rugby Championship fixtures.[5] He was called up to the U.S. national team for the 2010 end of year tests. He earned his US international debut with a start against Georgia in November 2010, and also started matches against Scotland A and Saracens. His 2011 contract with Northampton Saints prevented him from playing for the US in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.[21] Manoa retired from international rugby prior to the 2019 World Cup, but continued his club career with the Seattle Seawolves.[5]
Barbariansedit
On 1 June 2013 Manoa gained his first cap for the Barbarians playing alongside his fellow USA eagle, Takudzwa Ngwenya, against the Lions in Hong Kong.[22]
Manoa is married to Mary-Lorraine Masi'ata Lavaka-Manoa [Nee Tasini] with whom he has five children.
Samu Manoa's full name is Samuela Va'inga Manoa. He is of Tongan descent, and is the eldest son of Va`inga-`i-Moana Manoa and Patricia Dixon Mataele. Manoa's father was a star athlete at Santa Ana High School. Manoa's paternal grandfather and namesake, Samuela Mafana Ikani Manoa ("Mafana"), was a star rugby player from the village of Nukunuku in Tonga. His paternal grandmother, Kalolaine Tupou Veiongo Manoa [nee Aholelei] reared Manoa and took him as a toddler to Tonga, so his mother could continue with school. Manoa has two siblings on his father's side, a brother Wesley, and a sister, Lilio Daphne. Manoa's grandfather captained the South Seas Islanders during the 60s, and his father was also an international.
Referencesedit
^. web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
^"Samu MANOA, Lock". ITS Rugby. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
^"The irreplaceable Samu Manoa", ESPNscrum.com, December 29, 2014.
^"Men's Eagle Samu Manoa retires from international rugby". usa rugby. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^ abcd"Samu Manoa Retires From International Rugby". djcoilrugby. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
^USA Rugby, Men's National Team, Player Profile, . Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
^BBC Sport (14 April 2011). "Northampton Saints bring in USA lock forward Samu Manoa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
samu, manoa, born, march, 1985, american, rugby, union, player, plays, seattle, seawolves, major, league, rugby, manoa, described, 2014, espnscrum, perhaps, finest, playing, game, northern, hemisphere, retired, from, international, rugby, 2019, with, caps, man. Samu Manoa born March 5 1985 is an American rugby union player who plays for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby MLR Manoa was described in 2014 by ESPNscrum com as perhaps the finest No 8 playing the game in the northern hemisphere 3 He retired from international rugby in 2019 with 22 caps 4 Samu ManoaManoa with the USA Eagles in the 2015 Rugby World CupDate of birth 1985 03 05 5 March 1985 age 38 Place of birthConcord California United StatesHeight1 98 m 6 ft 6 in Weight127 kg 20 st 0 lb 280 lb 1 Occupation s Rugby union playerRugby union careerPosition s Lock Number 8Amateur team s YearsTeamApps Points 2003 2010SFGG Senior careerYearsTeamApps Points 2011 2015 2015 2018 2018 2019 presentNorthampton Saints Toulon Cardiff Blues Seattle Seawolves122 55 7 33 130 15 5 15 Correct as of 7 August 2023 2 International careerYearsTeamApps Points 2010 2010 20182013USA Selects United States Barbarians3 22 2 10 10 0 Correct as of 18 June 2018 Contents 1 Early career 2 Professional rugby 2 1 English Premiership 2 2 Top 14 2 3 Major League Rugby 3 Internationals 3 1 United States national team 3 2 Barbarians 4 Club Statistics 5 Personal life 6 References 7 External linksEarly career editManoa was born in Concord California but spent several years in Tonga and Hawaii during his childhood 5 He started playing rugby at 13 years old with his family 6 His coaches through his early years were his father and his uncle Va inga Manoa and Hu ufifale himself a rugby star in his youth in Tonga before emigrating to Hawaii Manoa played for San Francisco Golden Gate RFC from 2003 2011 He helped SFGG win the U S Rugby Super League in 2009 and 2011 5 In his final game for the Golden Gate Manoa again showed his nose for the tryline opening the scoring as his side claimed the title once more San Francisco Golden Gate were national runners up in 2010 Professional rugby editEnglish Premiership edit nbsp Manoa playing for Northampton in 2013In April 2011 Manoa signed for English Premiership side Northampton Saints for the 2011 12 season Northampton were impressed with his ball skills pace and physicality 7 In autumn 2011 Manoa hit the ground running for the Saints with a series of powerful performances in the early rounds of Premiership Rugby and worked himself into Northampton s starting rotation A series of outstanding performances earned him man of the match awards in wins over Castres and Harlequins and the big second row fast became an integral part of the Saints squad Over the course of the 2011 12 season Manoa played in 18 Premiership games for the Saints with 14 starts 8 Manoa was named by ESPN to the 2011 12 Premiership Dream Team 9 On February 15 2012 Manoa signed a three year contract extension with Northampton Saints 10 He was honoured with the Northampton Saints Supporters Player of the Year for the 2012 13 Premiership season 11 During the 2013 14 season Manoa replicated his success and subsequently was short listed for the RPA Player s Player of the Year award 12 and the Premiership Player of the Year 13 Furthermore for the second year in succession Manoa was voted the Saints Supporters Player of the Season 14 In 2014 Manoa started as Northampton beat Saracens to win the Premiership 15 He achieved his first English Premiership hat trick on October 11 2014 as Northampton dominated Sale Sharks 43 10 16 Just two months later he achieved another hat trick in a substitute appearance in which Saints drubbed Benetton Treviso 67 0 in the European Rugby Champions Cup 17 On the back of several strong performances in the Premiership and Champions Cup Manoa won the Premiership Player of the Month for December 2014 18 Top 14 edit On December 21 2014 Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal confirmed that Manoa signed with Toulon on a four year contract the first type of contract to be offered by the club 19 One week after making his debut for Toulon Manoa scored his first try for the club in their 52 8 win over Montpellier in November 2015 20 Major League Rugby edit Manoa has played with the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby since 2019 Internationals editUnited States national team edit Manoa played six matches with the U S Select XV and the USA A sides from 2009 to 2010 including Americas Rugby Championship fixtures 5 He was called up to the U S national team for the 2010 end of year tests He earned his US international debut with a start against Georgia in November 2010 and also started matches against Scotland A and Saracens His 2011 contract with Northampton Saints prevented him from playing for the US in the 2011 Rugby World Cup 21 Manoa retired from international rugby prior to the 2019 World Cup but continued his club career with the Seattle Seawolves 5 Barbarians edit On 1 June 2013 Manoa gained his first cap for the Barbarians playing alongside his fellow USA eagle Takudzwa Ngwenya against the Lions in Hong Kong 22 Club Statistics editAs of match played 7 August 2023 Club statistics Club Season League Europe Anglo Welsh Cup Other TotalDivision Apps Tries Apps Tries Apps Tries Apps Tries Apps TriesNorthampton Saints 2011 12 English Premiership 18 0 6 1 3 0 1 1 28 22012 13 24 2 6 0 3 2 33 22013 14 21 6 8 1 3 3 32 102014 15 21 8 7 4 1 0 29 13Toulon 2015 16 Top 14 8 1 3 0 11 1Toulon 2016 17 Top 14 17 0 6 0 23 0Toulon 2017 18 Top 14 18 1 3 1 21 2Cardiff Blues 2018 19 Pro14 3 1 4 0 0 0 7 1Seattle Seawolves 2019 Major League Rugby 5 0 5 0Seattle Seawolves 2021 Major League Rugby 7 1 7 1Seattle Seawolves 2022 Major League Rugby 14 0 14 0Seattle Seawolves 2023 Major League Rugby 7 2 7 2Total 163 22 43 7 10 3 1 1 217 33Personal life editThis section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Samu Manoa news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Manoa is married to Mary Lorraine Masi ata Lavaka Manoa Nee Tasini with whom he has five children Samu Manoa s full name is Samuela Va inga Manoa He is of Tongan descent and is the eldest son of Va inga i Moana Manoa and Patricia Dixon Mataele Manoa s father was a star athlete at Santa Ana High School Manoa s paternal grandfather and namesake Samuela Mafana Ikani Manoa Mafana was a star rugby player from the village of Nukunuku in Tonga His paternal grandmother Kalolaine Tupou Veiongo Manoa nee Aholelei reared Manoa and took him as a toddler to Tonga so his mother could continue with school Manoa has two siblings on his father s side a brother Wesley and a sister Lilio Daphne Manoa s grandfather captained the South Seas Islanders during the 60s and his father was also an international References edit Aviva Premiership Rugby Northampton Saints web page Premier Rugby Archived from the original on 2 February 2012 Retrieved 22 September 2011 Samu MANOA Lock ITS Rugby Retrieved 8 August 2023 The irreplaceable Samu Manoa ESPNscrum com December 29 2014 Men s Eagle Samu Manoa retires from international rugby usa rugby Retrieved 18 June 2019 a b c d Samu Manoa Retires From International Rugby djcoilrugby Retrieved 8 August 2023 USA Rugby Men s National Team Player Profile USA Rugby Men s National Team Player Profile Samu Manoa Archived from the original on 2011 07 27 Retrieved 2010 11 15 BBC Sport 14 April 2011 Northampton Saints bring in USA lock forward Samu Manoa BBC Sport Retrieved 1 June 2011 Premiership Rugby Squads Player Profile http www premiershiprugby com squads php player 101417 amp includeref dynamic Samu Manoa in ESPN Dream Team May 3 2012 http internationalsportsconsulting net p 837 Manoa agrees new Saints contract BBC Sport Manoa Get Honor MANOA SHORTLISTED FOR RPA PLAYERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR northampton saints Archived from the original on 20 May 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2014 Premiership Player of the Year shortlist the rugby paper 25 April 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2014 Manoa is Saints fans top man for second year in succession Northampton Chronicle Retrieved 20 May 2014 Premiership final Saracens 20 24 Northampton Saints BBC Sport 31 May 2014 Retrieved 24 March 2019 Manoa stars in Northampton win Belfasttelegraph Northampton Saints v Benetton Treviso espnscrum Retrieved 13 December 2014 Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby Retrieved 22 January 2015 Rugby Teams Scores Stats News Fixtures Results Tables ESPN espnscrum Retrieved 21 December 2014 Eagles Abroad Weekend Review TIAR Retrieved 9 November 2015 All Time American List Samu Manoa Goff Rugby Report Retrieved 8 August 2023 American rugby can only benefit from Eagles Lions experience The Guardian Retrieved 8 August 2023 External links editUSA Rugby Profile at the Wayback Machine archived 2011 07 27 Samu Manoa at ESPNscrum Archived 2011 12 13 at the Wayback Machine 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Samu Manoa amp oldid 1192851499, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
