Esei Ha'angana
| Born | 21 April 1999 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 120 kg (260 lb; 18 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Pauls Catholic College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Esei Ha'angana (born 21 April 1999) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for the Saitama Wild Knights in the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO). Born in Sydney, Australia, Ha'angana represents the Japan national team at international level, qualifying on residency grounds.
Ha'angana began his rugby career in Australia, making his professional debut at 18-years-old for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby.[2] At the time of his debut he was the youngest ever player to play for the club.[3]
Career
Ha'angana made his debut for the Rebels against the Sharks as a late bench replacement for Colby Fainga'a before replacing Amanaki Mafi in the 5th minute.[4] Ha'angana was the clubs youngest ever player to make a cap, being 18 years and 1 day old. The match finished as a 9-all draw in Durban.[4]
Ha'angana went on to make 15 appearances for the Rebels across five seasons.[5]
International career
Being born in Australia to Tongan parents, Ha'angana is eligible to represent both countries internationally.[6] In late 2024, he stated his intention to represent Japan if given the opportunity.[6]
In July 2026, Ha'angana was scheduled to make his Test debut against France in the 2026 Nations Championship for Japan.[7]
Super Rugby statistics
- As of 12 September 2020[5]
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rebels | 5 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Rebels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Rebels | 2 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Rebels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 AU | Rebels | 4 | 1 | 3 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 10 | 173 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- ↑ "Esei Ha'angana | Schools Rugby". schoolsrugby.com.au. Australian Schools & U18.
- ↑ Ward, Roy (21 April 2017). "From the dairy farm to Durban, Will Miller to make Super Rugby debut for Melbourne Rebels". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "Esei set to unwrap Super dream". Melbourne Rebels. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- 1 2 "Two see red in Durban draw". sanzarrugby.com. SANZAAR. 23 April 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017.
- 1 2 "Player Statistics". It's Rugby.
- 1 2 Wykes, Sam & Arona, Tinirau (14 October 2024). "Tongan Australia Esei Haangana is weighing up representing Japan in rugby". Nesian Footy (Podcast). Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Esei Haangana set for debut as Japan prepares to face France in hot and humid Tokyo". The Japan Times. 17 July 2026.