Seattle Seawolves & Vili Toluta’u

The Seattle Seawolves have signed Vili Toluta’u for his second season with the team. Vili is from Wailuku, Hawaii and plays flanker. He is 23-years-old, 6’0″, and 215 pounds.

Vili is from Tavutoka, Tongatapu, Tonga, but grew up in Wailuku, Hawaii and graduated from Henry Perrine Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawaii. He started playing rugby with Maui Rugby at the Kihei Youth Center. There, coach Jack Breen provided his early rugby fundamentals along with high school teammate in both football and track, Vekekina Fokelelei Malafu, who played rugby at Kutztown University and then for Austin Elite Rugby.

Vili was selected to the Boys High School All-Americans for two consecutive years and played in the Rosslyn Park Sevens and the Las Vegas Invitational. He also toured South America with the All-Americans tour of Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina.

After high school graduation, he went to Central Washington University on a rugby scholarship. Toluta’u continued his age-group pathway, playing twice for the Junior and Collegiate All-Americans. He played for the Under-20s at the 2013 and 2014 Junior World Cup Trophy Competition. He also played in 2014 for the MCAAs against Cambridge University and the Ontario Blues. Vili has represented the USA Falcons at the Las Vegas Invitational.

The USA Rugby National team tried to convert Vili to hooker, but that was scrapped when he performed well at flanker. In 2018 he played for the Eagles against Canada on June 23 and then for the USA Selects in the Americas Pacific Challenge.

Vili has proved to be a difficult ball-carrier to tackle. He earned Player of the Week honors for the Seattle Seawolves and he helped the team with the 2018 Major League Rugby Championship. Look for Vili to improve in season two and be one of the top flankers in the MLR.

Seattle Seawolves Comments

“We are excited to announce 2019 re-sign, Vili Toluta’u. The flanker played some of his best rugby to date in the 2018 Major League Rugby season, earning the first-ever MLR MVP accolade. Toluta’u adds another layer of defensive prowess to our Seawall, stealing the ball from the rucks and making huge hits. He is a massive threat on offense with his instinctive decision making and cheeky running lines. Welcome back to the Seattle Southside, Vili!”