Fiti Sa: the 2.03m lock who won all six of his first games for the Chiefs

Fiti Sa started out as a rugby league player in Christchurch. By the end of the 2026 Super Rugby season the 2.03m lock had played six games for the Chiefs, all of them off the bench and all of them wins, and had been used in All Blacks training before a Test. He was also part of the Taranaki squad that won the 2023 NPC. In 2027 he goes into his third season in the Chiefs squad, alongside his younger brother. This is his story so far.

From league to union

Sa was born in Christchurch on 4 April 2003, and his first code was league. The Chiefs' profile of him records that he took up union after moving to Wellington, before returning to Christchurch for his secondary schooling.

RugbyPass reported that he attended Shirley Boys' High School and Christ's College, and that he was named in the New Zealand Schools wider training squad in 2020. At Christ's College, the Chiefs say, he also earned selection for the New Zealand Barbarians. NZ Rugby History lists his first club as Shirley, in Christchurch.

The Chiefs list him at 2.03m and 125kg, and their team announcements have described him as a "giant lock" and a "towering lock".

A late call to South Africa

In September 2022 New Zealand Rugby sent its first New Zealand Under 19 team since the side that won the 2007 world title on a four-match tour of South Africa, under head coach Mark Hammett. Sa was not in the squad list announced on 11 September 2022, but he was named in the team for the second match, against the Sharks Under 19 at Kings Park in Durban on 24 September 2022, which New Zealand won 54-13, and on the bench for the third, against the Leopards Under 19 at Olen Park in Potchefstroom on 29 September 2022. RugbyPass reported that the side won all four of its tour matches.

He also played for the Crusaders Under 20 side, the Chiefs record, before a move north that shaped the next part of his career.

Waikato and Taranaki

Sa relocated to Waikato ahead of the 2023 season, joining the University club in Waikato, and spent 2023 and 2024 on a National Development Contract with the Chiefs, which let him train with the Super Rugby squad. His provincial home became Taranaki, and he has also played club rugby there for New Plymouth Old Boys.

His first NPC season ended with a title. Sa played seven games for Taranaki in 2023, one as a starter and six off the bench, according to NZ Rugby History, and Taranaki went on to win the title, beating Hawke's Bay 22-19 in the final at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on 21 October 2023. He was not in the 23 for the final.

In 2024 he started all five of his games at lock, and he was named in the full Taranaki squad for that year's NPC. He played six games in 2025, four of them as a starter, and four more in 2026, which brings him to 22 games for Taranaki. He has yet to score a try for the province. RugbyPass noted that he had played in a Taranaki pack alongside hookers Ricky Riccitelli and Bradley Slater, All Blacks lock Josh Lord and his brother Jayden, under coach Neil Barnes, who has since joined the All Blacks staff.

The Chiefs

When the Chiefs named their 2025 squad on 11 November 2024, Sa was one of three players given a first full-time Super Rugby contract, with Leroy Carter and Josh Jacomb. The club described him as a "New Zealand U19s and Taranaki lock". He did not play a game in 2025.

His debut came the following year. With Tupou Vaa'i home injured, the Chiefs named Sa on the bench for their match against the Western Force at HBF Park in Perth on 28 March 2026, and he came on in a 24-14 win.

He played six games in 2026, every one of them off the bench and every one of them a win, RugbyPass reported, and it singled out his impact in the 31-21 win over the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 8 May 2026. The Chiefs went on to reach the final, which the Hurricanes won.

In July 2026 he got a taste of the next level. RugbyPass reported that he was used in All Blacks training before the Test against France at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 4 July 2026, which the All Blacks won 34-32.

Brothers in the second row

Sa's younger brother Jayden, born in 2005, followed him to Christ's College, the Shirley and New Plymouth Old Boys clubs, Taranaki and the Chiefs. Both brothers' Wikipedia entries record the relationship, and RugbyPass has written about the pair playing together in the Taranaki pack. Jayden played for New Zealand at the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship and joined the Chiefs squad for 2026, and both are named among the Chiefs' seven locks for 2027.

Style and standing

Sa is a tight-five forward built on size, at 2.03m and 125kg. All six of his Super Rugby appearances have come off the bench, 130 minutes in all by RugbyPass's count. He has not yet scored a try in first-class rugby, by NZ Rugby History's and RugbyPass's records.

He has not played Test rugby for any country.

Where he is now

On 28 October 2026 the Chiefs named Sa in their 2027 squad, one of seven locks with Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Jai Knight, Josh Lord, Jayden Sa, Tupou Vaa'i and Aisake Vakasiuola. He goes into the season with six Chiefs caps. "This is a new team and a new season," head coach Jono Gibbes said in the squad announcement.

Career at a glance

Taranaki figures to the end of 2025 are from NZ Rugby History (RugbyPass counts five games in 2025 rather than six); 2026 figures are from RugbyPass, and his six Chiefs games match the club's own cap count.