The Houston SaberCats traded Joe Taufete’e in exchange for AJ Mamoe Alatimu for the 2024 Major League Rugby season. The 30-year-old flyhalf (31 in March) is 5’9″ and 225 lbs.
AJ played 1078 minutes in 17 matches, starting 15, and scored 107 points for the Seattle Seawolves in 2023. He then played for Counties Manukau in the NPC.
AJ played 1453 minutes in 18 matches, starting 16, for the Seawolves in 2022. He was the leading MLR point scorer with 164 points, as well as the goal-kicking leader with 67. He also led the league in kicking meters with 5521. After the season, he was named to the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup team for Samoa.
AJ joined the team during the 2021 MLR season, playing 785 minutes in 10 matches as a starter, scoring 55 points (14 conversions & 9 penalty goals).
Alatimu was born in Apia, Samoa, and attended James Cook High School. He played rugby with Kiwi State University, and then with West Scarborough in 2015. In 2016, he helped Perth Spirit win the National Rugby Championship, and during the offseason, played with GPS Gallopers. In 2017 he played with Brisbane City in the NRC, and from 2018-2020 with Western Force. In 2020 Western Force played in the Global Rapid Rugby competition.
Alatimu joined the Seattle Seawolves from the GPS Gallopers and was also an assistant coach with Wests Scarborough. Samoa National Team Alatimu represented the Samoa U20s from 2012-2013, making four appearances and scoring 28 points. In 2017, he was selected to the Senior National Team and made his Manu Somoa debut against Scotland at Murrayfield on 11 November 2017. In 2019 he played in the Pacific Nations Cup and was selected to Samoa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup Squad. He has played in 7 tests for Samoa. AJ also was named to the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup for Samoa.
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