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Tongan-Japanese rugby union footballer (1989-) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asaeli Ai Valu (ヴァル アサエリ愛, Baru Asaeri Ai, born 7 May 1989) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Japan Rugby League One club Saitama Wild Knights. Born in Tonga, he represents Japan at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.[1][2][3]
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (July 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Ai Valu representing the Sunwolves during Super Rugby | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 May 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Tofoa, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb; 18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Shochi Fukaya High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Saitama Institute of Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Fakahau Valu (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After 4 Top League seasons for Panasonic Wild Knights Ai Valu received his first call-up to his adopted country, Japan's senior squad ahead of the 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[4]
Valu received Japanese Citizenship in 2017. He is the son of former rugby union player Fakahau Valu, who represented Tonga at the 1987 Rugby World Cup.[5]
In Valu's university times, during the rugby off-season, he worked part-time at a farm-house and appeared at the Nippon Television variety show The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!.[6]
Upon acquiring Japanese citizenship, he added the first kanji of his wife's name (Ai (愛)) to his Japanese name. His wife's great-uncle is the comedian Kinichi Hagimoto. Although Valu himself has not met Hagimoto, he has been received with a phone call.[7]
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