Fehi Fineanganofo
 Fineanganofo playing for the Hurricanes in the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Fatafehi F. Fineanganofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 31 August 2002 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Auckland Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fehi Fineanganofo (born 31 August 2002) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player, who currently plays as a wing for Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and the Hurricanes in Super Rugby. He has also played for the New Zealand national sevens team.[1]
Early life
As a youngster, Fineanganofo initially played rugby league. It was only when he attended Auckland Grammar School that he started playing rugby union.[2]
Senior career
Fineanganofo plays for Bay of Plenty in the National Provincial Championship. He was named in the Steamers' squad for the first time in 2023.[3]
In November 2024, he signed a two-year contract with the Hurricanes ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.[4]
On 19 January 2026, Fineanganofo would leave New Zealand to join ambitious English club Newcastle Red Bulls in the Premiership Rugby competition on a two-year deal ahead of the 2026–27 season.[5]
In 2026, Fineanganofo formed part of the Hurricanes squad which won the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. On 20 June, the Hurricanes defeated the Chiefs 60–5 in the final. Fineanganofo scored one of the Hurricanes' nine tries.[6] On 22 June 2026, he was named in the All Blacks squad for the first time.
International career
In 2020, Fineanganofo was invited to attend a Barbarians Under 18 Development Camp, at the end of which he was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was only a paper team and it didn't play any games.[7][8]
Fineanganofo made his debut for the New Zealand national sevens team in Los Angeles in 2023.[9] He signed a full time contract with the team for the 2024 season.[10][11] Described as New Zealand's "breakthrough star" of 2024,[12] he played as New Zealand won the Singapore leg of the 2023–24 SVNS in May 2024.[13]
He was selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[14][15]
References
- ↑ "Fehi Fineanganofo". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "All Blacks Sevens young guns make their mark". allblacks.com. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ↑ "Introducing the 2023 Steamers Squad". Bay of Plenty Rugby. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ↑ "All Blacks Sevens star signs with Super Rugby Pacific giants". RugbyPass. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ↑ "Fehi Fineanganofo: Newcastle Red Bulls sign winger from next season". BBC Sport. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ Goile, Aaron (20 June 2026). "Hurricanes pound the Chiefs in Wellington to win their first Super Rugby title in a decade". Stuff. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "New Zealand Barbarian Under 18 squad announced". allblacks.com (Press release). 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ↑ "Secondary schools players recognised in representative team naming". allblacks.com (Press release). 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ↑ "All Blacks Sevens set for Los Angeles and Vancouver leg". allblacks.com. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "Fehi Fineanganofo". olympic.org.nz. 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "New talent joins sevens squads in pinnacle year". allblacks.com. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ Lyall, Jamie (17 July 2024). "Paris Olympics: Men's rugby sevens team-by-team guide". RugbyPass. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "NZ men's and women's sevens do double in Singapore". rnz.co.nz. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "Rugby Sevens teams named for Paris Olympics". nzrugby.co.nz. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ↑ "Paris 2024: Nine Olympic Debutants In Rugby Sevens Teams". Pacific Scoop. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
External links
- Fehi Fineanganofo at ItsRugby.fr (in French)
- Fehi Fineanganofo at All.Rugby
- Fehi Fineanganofo at RugbyDatabase.co.nz
- Fehi Fineanganofo at Olympics.com
- Fehi Fineanganofo at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
- Fehi Fineanganofo at Olympedia
- NZ Rugby History profile
- Fehi Fineanganofo at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- Fehi Fineanganofo on Instagram
- 2002 births
- Living people
- New Zealand rugby union players
- Bay of Plenty rugby union players
- New Zealand male rugby sevens players
- New Zealand international rugby sevens players
- People educated at Auckland Grammar School
- Rugby union centres
- Rugby sevens players at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic rugby sevens players for New Zealand
- Hurricanes (rugby union) players
- 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen
- New Zealand international rugby union players