Rugby ATL re-signed Martini Talapusi for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old flyhalf/fullback (28 in April) is 6’1″ and 217 lbs.
Martini played 290 minutes in 6 matches, starting 4, scoring 2 tries, making 1 conversion, and kicking 4 penalty goals in 2022. He then played for the Academy team in the American Rugby Premiership this Fall.
Martini played 226 minutes for the Ratlers in 4 matches (5 on matchday rosters, with 3 starts), and scored one try. A leg injury ended his season prematurely.
Martini played in all five matches during the truncated 2020 MLR season and started in the fifth week at fullback.
Martini is from Vaiala/Malie, Samoa. He was introduced to rugby when he was five years old in school and captained Samoa U18s on their tour of New Zealand. That gained him a scholarship to attend St. Andrew’s College in Christchurch. He also attended the University of Canterbury before moving to San Francisco to play with the San Francisco Rush in 2016. Martini also played with Life West Rugby Club with Rush Coach Adriann Ferris as the Head Coach.
In 2017 he played with the USA Selects in Uruguay at the Americas Pacific Cup with current Rugby ATL Head Coach Scott Lawrence the coach.
Martini has been a standout player for Life West in the California Cup and the Pacific Rugby Premiership. Following an injury sustained last year, he recovered and played in the Fall with 404 Rugby ATL in the American Rugby Premiership and his performance led to his signing with Rugby ALT for 2020.
