Samuela Vunisa
| Date of birth | 19 August 1988[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Suva, Fiji | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 ½ in)[2] | ||
| Weight | 121 kg (19 st 1 lb, 265 lb)[3] | ||
| School | Wanganui Collegiate School | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Number Eight, Flanker | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2011-13 2013-15 2015- |
Calvisano Zebre Saracens |
48 43 5 |
(95) (40) (15) |
| correct as of 28 August 2015. | |||
| Provincial/State sides | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2009-11 | Taranaki | 14 | (20) |
| correct as of 28 August 2015. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2014 - | Italy | 11 | (0) |
| correct as of 11 October 2015. | |||
Samuela Vunisa (born 19/08/1988, Suva, Fiji) is a Fijian-born Italian professional rugby union player.
His professional career began in 2009, where he played for New Zealand side Taranaki in the first tier domestic competition in the country, the ITM Cup (one level below Super Rugby). He went on loan in the 2011-12 rugby season to Rugby Calvisano in Italy, and impressed as his team won the top level domestic league and the Excellence Trophy. In the Summer of 2012, he returned to Taranaki. However, after negotiations lasting several weeks, the coach of Rugby Calvisano, Andrea Cavinato, announced in an interview with newspaper Giornale di Brescia in July 2012 of having reached an agreement for the termination of Vunisa's contract with Taranaki, allowing him to return to Calvisano for the 2012-13 season.
He played underage rugby for both the Fijian National Under-19 and Under-20 teams.
In the summer of 2013 he was signed by one of the two Italian outfits in the Pro 12, Zebre. He qualified for the Italy national rugby union team in Autumn 2014 under the IRB 3-year residency rule, and was called up into the squad for the 2014 Autumn Rugby Internationals, winning his first cap on 22 November 2014 against South Africa national rugby union team. Italy national rugby union team were in contention for most of the game but conceded two late tries to lose 22-6.[4] Powerful and athletic, Vunisa is an option across the back-row due to the combination of his speed, ball-carrying ability, physical strength and ability at the breakdown.