{{Short description|Samoa international rugby union player (born 1978)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{infobox rugby biography | name = Uale Mai Vala | image = Uale mai.jpg | caption = Uale Mai in Fiji. | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1978|07|20}} | birth_place = Samoa | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{height|m=1.76|precision=0}} | weight = {{convert|88|kg|lb||abbr=on}} | position = Fly half | amatyears1 = | amatyears2 = 2010 | amatteam1 = Wainuiomata | amatteam2 = CR El Salvador | repteam1 = Samoa | ru_currentposition = Fly half | ru_currentteam = | repyears1 = 2008–11 | repcaps1 = 16 | reppoints1 = | years1 = | apps1 = | points1 = | super1 = | superyears1 = | superapps1 = | superpoints1 = | province1 = | provinceyears1 = | provinceapps1 = | provincepoints1 = | repsevensyears1 = | repsevensteam1 = {{nrut7|Samoa}} | repsevenscomp1 = }}
'''Uale Mai Vala''' (born 20 July 1978) is a retired rugby union player who played for the country's national teams, Manu Samoa and Samoa Sevens. He is a former captain of the Samoa Sevens team which represent Samoa internationally in the IRB Sevens World Series. He was at the time of his retirement sevens rugby's most capped player (a record since surpassed by New Zealand's DJ Forbes), and Mai is considered one of the greats in the international sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/edition=3/news/newsid=2035583.html|work=International Rugby Board, News|title=Mai returns as squads declared for NZI Sevens|date=4 February 2010|access-date=2 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210073009/http://www.irb.com/irbsevens/edition=3/news/newsid=2035583.html|archive-date=10 February 2010}}</ref> Mai has been one of the top points scorers in the IRB World Sevens Series.
Mai is from Vailoa village in Palauli district on the island of Savai'i.<ref name=sru/> Mai was the first Samoan to be awarded the IRB International Sevens Player of the Year, which he received for the 2005–06 World Sevens Series. The ceremony took place in Glasgow on 26 November 2006.
Mai was awarded Player of the Tournament at the 2007 Hong Kong Sevens.<ref name=sru>{{cite web |url=http://www.samoarugbyunion.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=87|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928082101/http://www.samoarugbyunion.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=87|url-status=usurped|archive-date=28 September 2008|work=Samoa Rugby Union|title=Manu Samoa 7s|access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> In 2008, he was awarded the Samoan Senior Player of the Year and also received a nomination for the IRB International Sevens Player of the Year. In 2009, Mai took a short break from the ''Samoa Sevens'' team but returned in 2010 under new coach Stephen Betham.
In fifteens, he is comfortable at flyhalf and scrumhalf, where he represents Samoa in the Samoa national rugby union team. In 2010, he joined CR El Salvador in Spain's Division de Honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbycetransaelsalvador.com/Cetransa/Noticias/displayNews/93be6d3d2b1053b86992c2144c6b1690/5997841a40b0e31dfacec4bd9f90ff74/|work=Cetransa El Salvador, News|title=Uale Mai Internacional Samoano nuevo apertura del Cetransa El Salvador|date=9 September 2010|access-date=9 September 2010}}</ref> " I also do this for my son Sene Nuulua now educated at NUS"
Mai was awarded the Head of State's Service Medal in the 2014 Samoa Honours and Awards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Honours conferred |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=22 December 2014}}</ref>
thumb|right|200px|Uale Mai, 2009.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{ESPNscrum|16021}}
{{Samoa 2005 Rugby Sevens World Cup Squad}} {{Samoa 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup Squad}} {{Samoa 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup Squad}} {{World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mai, Uale}} Category:Living people Category:World Rugby Awards winners Category:Rugby union fly-halves Category:Samoan rugby union players Category:1978 births Category:Male rugby sevens players Category:People from Palauli Category:Samoa international rugby union players Category:Samoan expatriate rugby union players in Spain Category:Samoa international rugby sevens players Category:Recipients of the Head of State's Service Medal Category:CR El Salvador players
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