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Manu Vunipola (born 4 May 2000)[1] is a rugby union fly-half for Mie Honda Heat in Japan League One competition. Born in New Zealand, he has represented England under-18s and England under-20s.
| Birth name | Christian Fainga Manu Mapu' Aho Ta Aki-M Vunipola[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 May 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Harrow School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vunipola was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in Somerset, England.[2] He is the son of former Tongan international Elisi Vunipola,[2][3] and the cousin of Saracens teammates Billy and Mako Vunipola.[3][4][5][6] He attended The King Alfred School, Highbridge.[7] As a junior, he played for Burnham RFC,[2] and captained the Harrow School rugby team.[2][8]
Club career
In 2017, Vunipola played for Saracens under-18s in the Aviva Premiership under-18s finals day.[9] Vunipola then played for Saracens Storm, the A team of Saracens, and also played on loan for Bishop's Stortford.[7] Vunipola made his Saracens debut in January 2019,[2] in a 2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup match against Harlequins.[7][10] He made his Premiership Rugby debut in a 2018–19 match against Exeter Chiefs,[8][10] and later made his first Premiership Rugby start in a match against Worcester Warriors.[8]
In September 2019, Vunipola scored his first try for Saracens in a 2019–20 Premiership Rugby match against Wasps.[11] In January 2020, Vunipola scored 17 points in a 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage match, as Saracens beat Ospreys 22–15.[4] In the same month, referee Luke Pearce appointed Vunipola as Saracens captain, after Pearce decided he did not want to speak with Jackson Wray during a match against Harlequins.[12] In a February 2020 Premiership Rugby match against Sale, Vunipola scored 17 points and won a man of the match award.[6]
He has re-signed with Saracens until at least the 2022–23 season.[13]
On 28 January 2024, it was confirmed that Manu left Saracens to move to Japan to sign for Mie Honda Heat in their domestic League One competition from the 2024-25 season.[14]
International career
In 2018, Vunipola was called up to the England under-18s team.[5] In total, he made four appearances for the team.[10] Vunipola made his first start for England under-20s in their final match of the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship against Scotland under-20s.[15][16] He had made two previous substitute appearances in the tournament.[16] He was selected for the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Argentina,[3] and also for the 2020 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[17] He played in the Six Nations match against France under-20s in Grenoble,[12][18] but missed the match against Ireland under-20s after returning to Tonga for personal reasons.[19] As of February 2020, he has made nine appearances for England under-20s.[10]
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