Chase Tiatia
Chase Jackson Tiatia (born 14 October 1995) is a New Zealand-born, Samoan rugby union player who currently plays as a utility back for Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup.[1][2][3][4][5] He’s also a key player in the Wellington Hurricanes back line.
| Full name | Chase Jackson Tiatia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 14 October 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (205 lb; 14 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St. Patrick's College Silverstream | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early career
Born in the suburbs of Wellington, in Lower Hutt, Tiatia initially attended Hutt Valley High School before moving St. Patrick's College for his final 3 years of schooling between 2010 and 2013. While at St. Patrick's he played first XV rugby and after graduation, he moved on to represent Wellington at under-19 level, helping them to win the first ever Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under-19 tournament in 2014. During his time in Wellington, he made a name for himself turning out for Hutt Old Boys-Marist in the Jubilee Cup Premier Division, Wellington's top club league, where he finished as leading try scorer in 2014.[4]
Senior career
Tiatia got his first chance at provincial level with the Wellington Lions in 2014. It proved to be a difficult environment for a 19-year-old to get his first taste of rugby in as the Lions, generally one of the competitions strongest sides, were relegated from the Premiership down to the Championship. Initially held back by a broken thumb, he went on to make 3 appearances during the campaign and was named as Wellington's most promising player before heading north to join the Bay of Plenty Steamers for the 2015 ITM Cup.[6]
In Rotorua, Tiatia was reunited with former Wellington under-19s coach, Clayton McMillan, now head coach of the Steamers. The move proved to be a fruitful one as he played in all 11 of the Bay's games in 2015 and netted 4 tries which saw him win his province's rookie of the year and back of the year awards. An elbow injury restricted him to just 3 appearances in 2016 as the Steamers reached the Championship semi-finals before losing to Otago.[2][4]
Super Rugby
Tiatia's excellent domestic form for the Bay of Plenty in 2015 brought him to the attention of New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises and he was subsequently named in the Chiefs squad for the 2016 Super Rugby season.[7] As a young back in a star studded line up, Tiatia's first season at Super Rugby level was largely one of learning and he didn't get on the field at all during 2016, with his year being ended early with an elbow injury. Despite this head coach, Dave Rennie retained him in the squad for 2017.[3][8]
International
Although born and raised in New Zealand, internationally Tiatia elected to represent the land of his ancestors, Samoa. He was a member of their under-20 side which participated in the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship where he scored 1 try in 5 appearances.[9]
Super Rugby Statistics
- As of 11 December 2016[2]
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chiefs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- "Chase Tiatia Bay of Plenty Steamers Player Profile". BoP Rugby. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- "Chase Tiatia itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Chiefs 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Chase Tiatia Chiefs Player Profile". Chiefs Rugby. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- Voerman, Andrew (11 January 2016). "Chiefs rookie Chase Tiatia stepping up to the challenge of Super Rugby". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- "Chase Tiatia leaves Wellington for two-year deal with Bay of Plenty". Stuff.co.nz. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- "Chiefs 2016 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks Rugby. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- "Chiefs suffer injury blows as Glen Fisiiahi and Johan Bardoul ruled out for season". Rugby Heaven. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Chase Tiatia enjoying his rugby with Bay of Plenty". Club Rugby.co.nz. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.