Charles Piutau

Salesi Tu'ipulotu "Charles" Piutau (born 31 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing) position for England club Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and formerly for New Zealand's national team the All Blacks.

Charles Piutau
Piutau before a match against Harlequin F.C., February 2019
Full nameSalesi Tu'ipulotu Piutau
Date of birth (1991-10-31) 31 October 1991
Place of birthAuckland, New Zealand
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight100 kg (220 lb; 15 st 10 lb)
SchoolWesley College
Notable relative(s)Siale Piutau (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback, Wing, Centre
Current team Bristol
All Black No. 1122
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2015 Auckland 34 (45)
2012–2015 Blues 41 (40)
2015–2016 Wasps 25 (50)
2016–2018 Ulster 45 (60)
2018– Bristol 28 (45)
Correct as of 3 May 2020
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010 Tonga U20 5 (5)
2011 New Zealand U20 4 (30)
2013–2015 New Zealand 17 (25)
2013 Barbarian F.C. 1 (5)
Correct as of 3 May 2020
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2011–2012 New Zealand 9
Correct as of 3 May 2020

Early life

Piutau was born in New Zealand, from Tongan parents. He grew up on the Auckland suburb of Mangere and attended Wesley College.[1] He is the youngest of 10 children.[2]

Rugby playing career

Junior level

In 2010, Piutau represented Tonga at the IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina. Piutau was the top try scorer for the New Zealand Under-20s in their 2011 World Championship winning campaign.

Charles played club rugby for Pakuranga United Rugby Club. He is the younger brother of Bristol Bears centre Siale Piutau.

Club career

Piutau made his debut for Auckland in 2010, his first year out of high school, and was named Auckland Under 20 player of the year. He was brought into the Blues squad to cover injuries at the tail end of the 2012 Super Rugby season and proved his skills with two 'man of the match' appearances.

On 1 April 2015, it was announced Piutau would join Irish club Ulster from the start of the 2016–17 season.[3]

Piutau signed for English club Wasps in the Aviva Premiership during the 2015-16 season.[4] During his season at Wasps, Piutau had a strong impact. He scored a try in the 80th minute against Exeter Chiefs in the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final to help Wasps reach the semi-final. Piutau was nominated for the Aviva Premiership Player of the Season and was named in the Team of the Season.

In August 2017, Ulster confirmed that Piutau would be leaving the province at the end of the 2017–18 Pro14 season to join Bristol Bears.[5]

International career

Piutau joined the All Blacks training squad during the 2013 Super Rugby season. On 22 June, he made his test debut against France in New Plymouth. He was not selected for the 2015 World Cup, a factor in his decision to move to play club rugby in Europe.[6]

Test Match Record
Against Pld W D L Tri Con Pen DG Pts %Won
 France
2
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
100
 Australia
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
 Argentina
3
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
100
 South Africa
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
 Japan
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
100
 England
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
 United States
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
100
 Samoa
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
 Scotland
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
 Wales
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
Total17170050000100

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored

Personal life

Pilatau married in July 2018.[8]

Pilatau has invested in houses in Auckland.[9]

References
  1. Kitson, Robert (9 January 2021). "Bristol's Charles Piutau: 'I'd love to play in a Pacific Islanders team'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  2. https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/charles-piutau-exclusive-interview-bristol-bears-new-zealand-180334
  3. "Ulster complete signing of All Black Charles Piutau". BBC Sport. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  4. "Wasps sign former All-Black versatile back Charles Piutau". BBC Sport. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  5. "Shock Bristol move for Piutau". Planet Rugby. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/charles-piutau-exclusive-interview-bristol-bears-new-zealand-180334
  7. http://en.espn.co.uk/statsguru/rugby/player/121170.html?class=1;template=results;type=player;view=match
  8. https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/charles-piutau-exclusive-interview-bristol-bears-new-zealand-180334
  9. https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/charles-piutau-exclusive-interview-bristol-bears-new-zealand-180334
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.