{{short description|Tongan rugby union footballer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox rugby biography | image = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|7|12}} | birth_place = Tofoa, Tongatapu | height = {{convert|1.98|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|115|kg|stlb|abbr=on}} | nickname = | occupation = | ru_currentposition = | ru_currentteam = | ru_position = Lock, Flanker | amatyears1 = | amatteam1 = | years1 = 1993–96 | years2 = 1997–98 | years3 = 1999–01 | years4 = 2002–04 | years5 = 2005–07 | years6 = 2007–09 | years7 = 2009–11 | clubs1 = Wellington | clubs2 = Ricoh | clubs3 = Wellington | clubs4 = Secom Rugguts | clubs5 = Scarlets | clubs6 = Grenoble | clubs7 = Saint-Étienne | apps1 = | apps2 = | apps3 = 89 | apps4 = | apps5 = 50 | apps6 = 40 | apps7 = 24 | points1 = | points2 = | points3 = 85 | points4 = | points5 = 20 | points6 = 5 | points7 = 5 | superyears1 = 1996 | superyears2 = 1999–01 | super1 = Hurricanes | super2 = Hurricanes | superapps1 = 4 | superapps2 = 31 | superpoints1 = 0 | superpoints2 = 5 | provinceyears1 = | province1 = | provinceapps1 = | provincepoints1 = | repyears1 = 1995–07 | repteam1 = Tonga | repcaps1 = 24 | reppoints1 = 15 | coachyears1 = 2010-2011 | coachyears2 = 2011-2012 | coachyears3 = 2012-2017 | coachteams1 = Saint-Étienne | coachteams2 = Poneke RFC & WRFU | coachteams3 = Singapore Rugby Union | university = Victoria University of Wellington }}
'''Inoke Afeaki''' (born 12 July 1973 in Tofoa, Tongatapu) is a Tongan former rugby union footballer, coach and administrator. He has played professionally in New Zealand, Japan, Wales, France and Tonga, and coached in France, New Zealand and Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |title=SINGAPORE: A SMALL ISLAND WITH BIG AMBITION |work=State News Service |author=Rich Freeman |date=20 May 2014 |via=Gale OneFile}}</ref> His usual playing position was at lock.
==Career== Afeaki has played for the Wellington Lions in the National Provincial Championship, the Hurricanes in the international Super 14 competition, Secom and Ricoh in Japan before joining the Scarlets in Wales. He represented Grenoble in the French Pro D2. He captained Tonga at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He signed for Saint Etienne in 2009.<ref>1</ref>
In 1986-90, he attended St Bernard's College in Wellington, in 1991 and 1992 he played for the Wellington under 19 and 21 teams respectively. He played for Petone from 1992 through to 1999, and the Wellington Lions from 1993–96 and again from 1999-01. In 1994–95 he played part of the season in Italy with Rugby Viadana in the First division of the Italian championship alongside Tana Umaga, who later became captain of the All Blacks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belli |first=Andrea |date=2023-08-25 |title=La storia di Viadana: piccola città, grande rugby |url=https://carborugby.com/2023/08/25/viadana-piccola-citta-grande-rugby/ |access-date=2026-02-17 |language=it-IT}}</ref> He made his Super 12 debut for the Hurricanes in 1996,<ref>{{cite news |title=Afeaki sweeps into Hurricanes squad |work=The Dominion-Post |author=David Ogilvie |date=8 December 1995 |page=34 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> in the first season. He played in Japan from 1997–98,<ref>{{cite news |title=Standard of domestic rugby higher - Afeaki |page=41 |work=The Dominion-Post |author=Jim Kayes |date=12 August 1998 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> then returned to the Hurricanes from 1999 to 2001. He went back to Japan in 2002 and played there until 2005.
===International career=== He made his debut for Tonga on May 26, 1995 in a match against France, coming on as a replacement in Pretoria during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He also played in two other matches during the tournament, in the starting line-up, against Scotland and Côte d'Ivoire.
He next played for Tonga in November 2001 when he started against Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium. He captained them in their next match against Wales, in which he scored a try. He retained the captaincy for the following season and played four matches for Tonga in 2002. Following captaining them in a number of internationals in 2003, he then led Tonga at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. In 2004 he was the captain of the Pacific Islanders rugby union team that played a series of matches against southern nations. In an incident during the match against Côte d’Ivoire he tackled Max Brito, an ivoirian player, who broke his neck in the following Ruck that collapsed on him.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mg.co.za/article/2007-10-04-max-brito-at-end-of-tether-after-12year-struggle/ | title=Max Brito at end of tether after 12-year struggle | date=4 October 2007 }}</ref>
Afeaki was coach and technical director at Singapore Rugby Union from 2012 to 2017, before taking sports administration positions in Tonga.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 July 2017 |title=Afeaki appointed director of operations for Team Tonga |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1053167/afeaki-appointed-director-of-operations-for-team-tonga |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=www.insidethegames.biz}}</ref>
== Personal life == Afeaki's family moved from Tonga to Petone when he was three. He now lives in Wellington and works as the site Health and Safety Officer at LT McGuinness Ltd.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-20 |title=Wanted for the All Blacks, but not as a New Zealand citizen – why Inoke Afeaki is running for election |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/page/wanted-for-the-all-blacks-but-not-as-nzer-why-inoke-afeaki-is-running-for-election |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=Newsroom |language=en-AU}}</ref>
Afeaki is married to Kanoko, who is Japanese. The couple has two sons.<ref name=":0" /> He became a New Zealand citizen in 2022 and stood as a candidate in the Wellington City Council election that year.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061215023335/http://www.teivovo.com/pacific_rugby/Islanders/2004/profiles_2004/Inoke_Afeaki.html Inoke Afeaki] on teivovo.com
{{Tonga Squad 2007 World Cup}} {{Tonga Squad 2003 World Cup}} {{Tonga Squad 1999 World Cup}} {{Tonga Squad 1995 World Cup}} {{PIRA2004squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afeaki, Inoke}} Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Rugby union locks Category:Tongan rugby union players Category:Scarlets players Category:Black Rams Tokyo players Category:Wellington rugby union players Category:Hurricanes (rugby union) players Category:FC Grenoble Rugby players Category:Rugby union players from Tongatapu Category:Tonga international rugby union players Category:Pacific Islanders rugby union players Category:Tongan expatriate rugby union players in France Category:Tongan expatriate rugby union players in New Zealand Category:Tongan expatriate rugby union players in Japan Category:People educated at St Bernard's College, Lower Hutt Category:1995 Rugby World Cup players Category:2003 Rugby World Cup players Category:2007 Rugby World Cup players Category:Sayama Secom Rugguts players