The San Diego Legion re-signed Tevita Tameilau for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. The 31-year-old back-row/lock (32 on 22 January) is 6’5 and 260 lbs.
Tevita played 838 minutes in 15 matches, starting 11, and scored one try for the Legion in 2021. He started the first three matches at No.8, playing 228 minutes, for the San Diego Legion during the truncated season in 2020.
He played in the inaugural MLR season with the Utah Warriors in 2018, playing 522 minutes in 9 matches, starting 7, and scoring 2 tries. Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, he signed a two-year contract with the Glasgow Warriors, and also played for Currie in the Scottish Premiership during the 2018-2019 season.
Prior to the 2019 MLR playoffs, it was announced by San Diego that he had been loaned to the Legion, but this was not upheld by the League. Following his release by Glasgow Warriors, Tevita joined the San Diego Legion for 2020.
Tevita is from Redwood City, California, and started playing rugby with the Peninsula Green High School Rugby Club. He was a versatile athlete there, playing No.8, flanker, lock, and center. He earned representative honors playing for the USA Rugby U18, U19, and U20 teams. In 2007 he played at the U19 World Cup and in 2008 went to Kenya for the Junior World Cup.
After graduating from Serra High School in San Mateo, California, Tameilau went on to play football at San Francisco City College as a defensive end. He then served a two-year religious mission in Phoenix, Arizona and when he returned home, he went to West Texas A&M, an NCAA Division II College to play football.
After leaving West Texas A&M, Tameilau moved back to the Bay Area and played rugby for San Francisco Golden Gate in the 2015 Pacific Rugby Premiership. Later that year, USA Rugby awarded Tameilau a scholarship to attend and play for Taranaki Rugby Academy, New Zealand for 6 weeks. The following season, Tameilau played for the Life West College Gladiators under head coach Adriann Ferris.
Tameilau made his Eagles (#475) debut in the Americas Rugby Championship against Canada at Round Rock, Texas on February 13, 2016. Since then he has earned 15 test caps, starting 6 times. His most recent Eagles appearance was also against Uruguay on March 2, 2019. He was also named to the extended Rugby World Cup 2019 squad.
Tameilau also played rugby professionally with the San Francisco Rush, the Newcastle Falcons, RC Narbonne, the Utah Warriors, Currie, and the Glasgow Warriors.
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