Timothy Lafaele

Timothy Lafaele
Date of birth	19 August 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth	Pago Pago, American Samoa
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	98 kg (15 st 6 lb; 216 lb)
School	De La Salle College, New Zealand
University	Yamanashi Gakuin University, Japan
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Fly-half / Centre
Current team	Kobelco Steelers
Senior career
Years	Team
2014–2018	Coca-Cola Red Sparks
2017–2019	Sunwolves
2020–	Kobelco Steelers
	Correct as of 21 February 2021
International career
Years	Team
2016–present	Japan
	Correct as of 21 February 2021

Timothy Lafaele (Japanese: ティモシー・ラファエレ, born 19 August 1991) is an American Samoan-born, Japanese international rugby union player who plays as a fly-half or centre.^[1] He currently plays for the Sunwolves in Super Rugby and the Kobelco Steelers in Japan's domestic Top League.^[2]^[3] He received Japanese citizenship in 2017.^[4]

Club career

Lafaele has played all of his senior rugby in Japan with the Coca-Cola Red Sparks, who he joined in 2014.^[5]

Lafaele received his first call-up for his adopted country Japan's senior squad ahead of the 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals. He debuted as a second-half replacement in new head coach, Jamie Joseph's first game, a 54-20 loss at home to Argentina.^[1]

^ ^a ^b "Timothy Lafaele ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
^ "Timothy Lafaele Top League Player Profile" (in Japanese). Top League. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
^ "Timothy Lafaele Coca-Cola Red Sparks Player Profile" (in Japanese). CC West. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
^ "Another high school rugby star headed for Japan". Otago Daily Times. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ "Timothy Lafaele itsrugby Player Statistics". itsrugby. Retrieved 7 November 2016.