The Utah Warriors signed Arawa Elkington for the 2020 Major League season, his third with the club. The soon to be 28-year-old flanker is 6’0″ and 225 lbs.
Ara played 1007 minutes in 15 matches in 2019 for the Warriors. He scored 3 tries, carried 72 times for 505 meters, and made 190 tackles. In 2018 he also had the opportunity to play with his twin brother Wineera for the Warriors.
Arawa was born and raised in Temple View, a suburb of Hamilton, New Zealand. Ara started playing rugby in elementary school and played on multiple age-grade representative teams (Waikato U14, U15, U17, and U19 provincial teams).
He attended Church College of New Zealand graduating in 2009. There, he captained the rugby 1st XV under coach Alf Daniels. He then moved to Utah and played rugby at Highland High School in 2010-2011.
Ara then spent 2011-2013 in Fresno, California on an LDS mission. Upon his return, he moved to Provo, Utah and attended BYU in 2013. There he won National Championships in 2014 and in 2015, was selected as a first-team Collegiate All-American, captained the team and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction and Facilities Management.
Ara is married to wife Ivy, and they have a son Te Kanawa.
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