Naitoa Ah Kuoi: four Super Rugby finals, a try in the 2026 decider and six games from a Chiefs century

When the Chiefs named their squad for 2027, the announcement noted that two locks, Tupou Vaa'i and Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, will be chasing their 100th game for the club. Naitoa Ah Kuoi starts the year on 94. Since his debut in 2020 the Wellington-raised lock has played in four Super Rugby finals, scored the Chiefs' only try in the 2026 decider in his home city, crossed for 19 tries in the NPC, worn the black jersey for New Zealand Schools and the All Blacks XV, and been given a Samoan chiefly title by his family's village.

Wellington College and Marist St Pat's

Ah Kuoi was born in Wellington in 1999 and lived there until he was 20. His family's roots are in Vaiusu and Lotopa in Samoa. "I'm Samoan, I've grown up being Samoan," he told the Samoa Observer in 2019.

He came through the junior grades at Marist St Pat's and went to Wellington College, where he captained the First XV in 2017. That year he was picked for New Zealand Schools, the first time he wore a black jersey, ClubRugby.nz recorded. Even then he played with the word MUM stuck to the front of his headgear, a habit he said he would keep "if they let me".

In 2018, his first year out of school, he played the first of his 22 Premier games for Marist St Pat's.

A hard year, then a contract

2019 began with injuries. He suffered a knee ligament tear early in the year, the Samoa Observer reported, and although he was picked for the New Zealand Under 20 team, he sprained an ankle five minutes into their game against Fiji in April and missed the World Championship in June. That single match is his only Under 20 appearance.

He went back to Marist St Pat's for the second half of the club season, played some games for the Colts, and then made the Wellington Lions squad for the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup. He missed only one game all season as Wellington reached the Premiership final, where he came off the bench in the 57th minute against Tasman at Trafalgar Park in Nelson on 26 October 2019. Tasman won 31-14.

On 12 November 2019 the Chiefs named him in their squad for 2020, his first Super Rugby contract, at 20. He chose them, he said, partly for the chance to start fresh away from Wellington under head coach Warren Gatland.

The Chiefs

Ah Kuoi was one of three Chiefs debutants named for the opening game of the 2020 season against the Blues at Eden Park on 31 January 2020, alongside Quinn Tupaea and Kaleb Trask, with Angus Taʻavao next to him on the bench. He made his Super Rugby debut off the bench that night, and the Chiefs won 37-29 in front of 14,700 people.

That NPC season he scored his first two provincial tries for Wellington, against Canterbury at Rugby League Park in Christchurch on 3 October 2020 and against Hawke's Bay at McLean Park in Napier on 8 November 2020.

In 2021 the Chiefs arrived in Wellington on a run of 11 straight losses. On 20 March 2021 they beat the Hurricanes 35-29 at Sky Stadium, and Ah Kuoi scored a try in the 66th minute. He later called it "one of my favourite memories". The Chiefs went on to the Super Rugby Aotearoa final against the Crusaders at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch on 8 May 2021, and he came on at the start of the second half of a 24-13 loss. That year he signed a two-year extension with the club, aged 21. He sat out the 2021 NPC with concussion, he told ClubRugby.nz.

Bay of Plenty and the tries

For the 2022 NPC Ah Kuoi moved to Bay of Plenty. His debut for the Steamers came against Wellington at Wellington Regional Stadium on 7 August 2022, a 37-35 loss in which he scored, and he called it "a full circle moment". He also moved from lock to blindside flanker that season and scored seven tries in all, among them two against North Harbour at North Harbour Stadium in Albany on 10 September 2022 and two against Waikato at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on 9 October 2022. Only three players in the competition scored more that year.

The tries kept coming: three in 2023, three in 2024, two in 2025 and two in 2026, the most recent against Southland at Rugby Park in Invercargill on 13 September 2026. Counting from Wikipedia's season records, that is 17 NPC tries for Bay of Plenty and 19 in the NPC overall.

He came closest to a provincial title on 26 October 2024, when he started at lock in the NPC final against Wellington at Sky Stadium. Wellington won 23-20 with a penalty in the 93rd minute of extra time.

The All Blacks XV

Ah Kuoi's second black jersey came in July 2023, when Leon MacDonald named him in the All Blacks XV squad for Japan. He started at lock against a Japan XV at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo on 8 July 2023, and the All Blacks XV won 38-6.

He toured again in November 2024 under Clayton McMillan. He came off the bench in a 38-24 win over Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick on 2 November 2024 and started at lock in a 31-13 win over Georgia at GGL Stadium in Montpellier on 10 November 2024. He has not played a Test.

Four finals

The Chiefs have been in every Super Rugby Pacific final from 2023 to 2026, and Ah Kuoi has played in three of them as well as the 2021 Aotearoa final. He came off the bench in the 25-20 loss to the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on 24 June 2023, and started in the 16-12 loss to the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on 21 June 2025.

The 2026 final took him home. The Chiefs met the Hurricanes at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on 20 June 2026, and he came on in the 46th minute. The Hurricanes won 60-5, but the Chiefs' only try belonged to Ah Kuoi, in the 75th minute. He had also scored in the 42-12 win over the Highlanders on 15 May 2026 and the 59-34 win over the Blues on 30 May 2026, both at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton.

Seuseu

Before the 2026 season Ah Kuoi was given the matai title Seuseu by the village of Vaiusu in Samoa, and the Chiefs now use it in their team lists. "It means to catch or capture," he told Tagata Pasifika, and the title "allows me to represent my family and village of Vaiusu".

Style and standing

The Chiefs describe a player who can cover several positions, with a strong work ethic and leadership potential. When he re-signed in June 2025, head coach Clayton McMillan called him "a fearless and dynamic player" whose energy lifts everyone around him. McMillan added that off the field he connects with fans and proudly represents his heritage and community, and the club noted that he is often the last player still signing autographs after a game. "It means a lot to keep playing for this team," Ah Kuoi said, and he credited the fans as a big part of his decision to stay.

He has not forgotten where he started. When he is home in Wellington he helps out at Wellington College, where Neemia Tialata and Piri Weepu run the First XV, and at Marist St Pat's.

Where he is now

Ah Kuoi was named in the Chiefs' 2027 squad on 28 October 2026 under head coach Jono Gibbes, one of seven locks, on 94 Chiefs games. Six more will make him a Chiefs centurion. The 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season opens on Friday 12 February 2027.

Career at a glance

Chiefs games are the club's count in its 2027 squad announcement. Wellington figures are from Wikipedia. Bay of Plenty and Chiefs tries are counted from Wikipedia's season and match records.