Joe Taufete'e

Early life Joe Taufetee was born on October 4, 1992 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area after moving with his family to California at the age of five. Taufetee earned multiple All-Conference honors during his time with the team, He then went to New Zealand to develop his rugby skills.

In early 2016, Taufete'e was signed to a professional contract by the San Diego Breakers. In December 2016, Taufete'e signed a contract to the Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership.

On February 26, 2020, Taufete signed for French side Lyon in the Top 14 ahead of the 2020–21 season. In March 2022, following the birth of his child in California, Taufete’e was granted release from Lyon and was subsequently signed by the LA Giltinis.

In August 2022 Taufete'e signed for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. Head coach Steve Borthwick described Taufete'e as "a powerful player, in attack and defence".

International The uncapped Taufete'e was a surprise inclusion in the U.S. squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He also played for the U.S. at the 2016, 2017, and 2019 Americas Rugby Championships. The USA star has made 22 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 20 tries. This surpasses former Ireland great Keith Wood, a hooker, for the most international tries by any player in the tight five (i.e., either a hooker, prop, or lock).

International tries Try Opposing team Venue Competition Date Result Score 1 Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale 2016 Americas Rugby Championship Won 64–0 2 Athletic Club, São Paulo 2016 Americas Rugby Championship Lost 23–24 3 Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastián Test match Lost 17–20 4 Torero Stadium, San Diego 2019 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Won 52–16 5 6 Brita-Arena; Wiesbaden Test match Won 46–17 7 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi Test match Lost 20–21 8 9 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City Test match Won 62–13 10 11 BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston Test match Won 30–29 12 13 Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastián Test match Won 30–29 14 Aviva Stadium, Dublin Test match Lost 14–57 15 Estadio Santiago Bueras; Maipu 2019 Americas Rugby Championship Won 71–8 16 Starfire Sports, Tukwila 2019 Americas Rugby Championship Lost 25–32 17 18 19 Starfire Sports, Tukwila 2019 Americas Rugby Championship Won 30–25 20 21 Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Won 38–16 22 Estadio Santa Laura-Universidad SEK, Santiago 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Won 22–21 23 Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Lost 29–31