Isa Nacewa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Isa Nacewa | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Isakeli Nacewa | ||
| Date of birth | July 22 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Auckland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Fly-half, Fullback, Inside centre, Wing | ||
| Provincial/State sides | Caps | (points) | |
| 2003– | Auckland | 54 | (212) |
| Super Rugby | |||
| 2005–2008 | Blues | 44 | (208) |
| National team(s) | |||
| 2003 |  Fiji |
1 | (0) |
Isakeli Nacewa (born 22 July 1982 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer of Fijian descent. He is a utility back and represents the Blues in the Super Rugby competition and Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup. He has also represented Fiji at international level.
One of the stand-out players for Auckland in their 2005 NPC-winning season, Nacewa is a speedy and versatile player who can play as an outside back or centre. He also proved that he can play as a first five-eighth when he covered successfully for the injured Luke McAlister during the 2006 Super 14 season.
Born and raised in New Zealand, Nacewa qualified to play for Fiji through his ancestral links. He was included in Fiji's squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and came on as a substitute against Scotland. In 2006, he quit the Fiji national team as he wanted his eligiblity changed from Fiji to New Zealand. But due to IRB law, his appearance for Fiji in the World Cup made him ineligible for the All Blacks, Nacewa is now considering legal advice to persuade the IRB to annul his Fiji cap[1].
The IRB has ruled that Nacewa is a Fijian citizen and has played for Fiji during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, making him only eligible to play for Fiji[2].
In the 2007 Super 14 coach David Nucifora trialled him in their first match against the Crusaders at Fly-half in place of first-choice Luke McAlister who was out because of an injury. Nacewa played so well that Nucifora decided to play him at number 10 and when McAlister returned he was placed in his favorite position at inside centre in order to cater for Nacewa. The Blues defeated the defending champions and Nacewa scored 19 points. In the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup, Nacewa was voted the player of the tournament after guiding his Auckland team to another thrilling victory and thus winning the coveted Air New Zealand Cup in another thriller defeating finalist Wellington.
It was recently announced that he will be playing for the Irish provincial side Leinster in the 2008/2009 season.
[edit] References
- ^ Nacewa plays a waiting game. fijitimes.com. Retrieved on 22 July 2006.
- ^ Only Fiji, Nacewa told. fijivillage.com. Retrieved on 22 July 2006.
[edit] External links
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