Samipeni Finau: the debut try that turned a Bledisloe Test, and four straight Super Rugby finals

Samipeni Finau's Test career began with a try that turned a Bledisloe Cup match. On 5 August 2023, at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, the All Blacks trailed Australia 17-3 at half-time; in the 64th minute the debutant blindside flanker barged over to give them the lead for the first time, and Richie Mo'unga's late penalty won it 23-20. Born in Tonga and raised in New Zealand, the former schoolboy fullback went on to play 12 Tests, won an NPC title with Waikato and played in four Super Rugby finals for the Chiefs before signing with the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan in 2026.

From Nuku'alofa to Cambridge

Finau was born in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on 10 May 1999, and raised in New Zealand. He went to St Peter's School in Cambridge, and the NZ Rugby Museum's profile on stats.allblacks.com records that he was a fullback for much of his early rugby before shifting to the loose forwards during his school years.

In 2017, according to the Chiefs' player profile, St Peter's won the national co-educational schools title, and Finau was picked for the New Zealand Schools Barbarians. The prop Ollie Norris was also at St Peter's, and the two went on to play for Waikato and the Chiefs together: by July 2026, Cambridge News reported, citing Rugby Database, they had played 103 first-class games side by side.

Waikato and the Under 20s

Finau came through the Chiefs Under 20 pathway, and 2019 brought two firsts: his debut for Waikato and selection for New Zealand Under 20, for whom Wikipedia records six matches and a try that year. In November 2020 he was named in the first squad Moana Pasifika ever selected, chosen by Tana Umaga for the match against the Maori All Blacks in Hamilton on 5 December 2020. RNZ's list had him among the forwards, a 21-year-old Waikato player representing Tonga.

His provincial highlight came on 20 November 2021. Waikato hosted Tasman in the NPC Premiership final at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, with Finau starting at blindside flanker and Norris coming off the bench, and Waikato won 23-20 to take the title. Wikipedia credits him with 35 games for Waikato by late 2024.

The Chiefs

Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane said the rookie was the team's most impressive player in pre-season, according to the club's profile, and Finau was handed a start at number 6 in the Chiefs' first match of Super Rugby Aotearoa, against the Highlanders at Waikato Stadium on 5 March 2021. He was one of five Chiefs debutants that night, and he started in a loose forward trio with Cane and Luke Jacobson. Covid restrictions limited the crowd to 700, and the Highlanders won 39-23.

The breakout came in 2023. Finau played 14 games and scored three tries as the Chiefs reached the Super Rugby Pacific final, which they lost 25-20 to the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium on 24 June 2023. He came off the bench that day, the first of four finals in a row for him: he started at blindside in the 2024 final against the Blues at Eden Park on 22 June 2024, the 2025 final against the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, on 21 June 2025, and the 2026 final against the Hurricanes at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on 20 June 2026. The title eluded the Chiefs each time.

In August 2024 he re-signed with the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2026. Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan told the Waikato Herald that Finau had grown from a raw athlete into an All Black, and praised his "desire for combat on both sides of the ball". Finau's own view: "This team and its brotherhood have helped shape me into the player I am today."

A debut to remember

Finau's Chiefs form earned a place in Ian Foster's squad for the 2023 Rugby Championship. He made his Test debut in the second Bledisloe Cup match, against Australia at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, on 5 August 2023, starting at blindside flanker in a side that also included Finlay Christie at halfback. He became All Black number 1211.

Tries to Marika Koroibete and Tom Hooper put the Wallabies 17-3 up at half-time. Fellow debutant Shaun Stevenson scored in the corner soon after the break, Richie Mo'unga kicked a penalty, and then, in the 64th minute, Finau barged over to put New Zealand in front for the first time. Quade Cooper levelled the scores with a long-range penalty, before Mo'unga's late penalty won the match 23-20.

Twelve Tests

Under Scott Robertson in 2024, Finau started both Tests against England, the 16-15 win at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 6 July 2024 and the 24-17 win at Eden Park, Auckland, on 13 July 2024. He came off the bench against South Africa at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on 31 August 2024, then scored his second Test try when he started against Japan at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, on 26 October 2024, a 64-19 win. On the northern tour he came off the bench in the 24-22 win over England at Twickenham on 2 November 2024 and the 23-13 win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on 8 November 2024, and started against France at the Stade de France in Paris on 16 November 2024.

In 2025 he played all three Tests against France. He came off the bench in the 31-27 win at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 5 July 2025, which was the All Blacks' 500th Test victory, and again in the 43-17 win at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on 12 July 2025, then started the 29-19 win at FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, on 19 July 2025 that completed a 3-0 series sweep. His 12th and last Test came off the bench in the 41-24 win over Argentina at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba, on 16 August 2025.

The All Blacks won ten of his 12 Tests, a win rate of 83.3 per cent.

Style and standing

The Museum's write-up describes a powerful, athletic loose forward who combines pace, power and work rate. The Waikato Herald pointed to his trademark dominant tackles and strong carries, and the Chiefs' profile describes him as fast and powerful off the side of the scrum. Over his time in New Zealand he played 132 first-class games, according to Rugby Database figures quoted by Cambridge News, 75 of them for the Chiefs.

Japan

On 1 July 2026 the Chiefs announced that Finau would leave the club. "Chiefs will always be home," he said in the club's statement. "My time at the Chiefs will always be one that I will cherish."

He has joined the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan Rugby League One, coached by former Blues coach Leon MacDonald. RugbyJP reported that he was one of ten signings for the 2026-27 season, alongside fellow All Black Stephen Perofeta and fellow St Peter's old boy Laghlan McWhannell. RugbyJP noted that the move effectively ends his All Blacks career at 12 Tests. He was 27 when he signed.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data. Other figures are from Wikipedia, the Chiefs and Cambridge News.