Va'aiga Tuigamala

Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala Pulelua Fesola'i

A centre or wing, he was known as a powerful runner, much larger than most rugby wingers of the time.

Early life Born in Faleasiu, Samoa, Tuigamala and his family moved to New Zealand when he was 4 years old. He grew up in southern Glendene in West Auckland, New Zealand. He was from Tongan and Samoan Descent.

Playing career Rugby union He played in New Zealand for Ponsonby and Auckland. He represented New Zealand (the All Blacks) in rugby union as a winger from 1989, playing his first test match against the United States in 1991. At the time, Tuigamala was the first person born in Samoa to play for the All Blacks. He scored a hat-trick on his third appearance for Newcastle against Moseley at Kingston Park and was an important part of the 1998 Championship-winning side, making 16 appearances that season. He then delayed an arm operation to put in a Man of the Match performance in the 2001 Cup Final. Upon signing for the Falcons, teammate Doddie Weir called Tuigamala "simply the best rugby player in the world".

He made his début for Western Samoa in 1996 against Ireland, going on to play 23 test matches, scoring 3 tries. He was an important part of the Samoa squad at the 1999 World Cup.

He was known for his Christian faith, and in particular for the influence he had on Jason Robinson, a teammate at Wigan. Tuigamala shared his Christian faith, though it wasn't until some time later that Robinson became a Christian.

Post-playing Following the end of his rugby career, he acted as advisor for his cousin David Tua, a professional heavyweight boxer, and ran a funeral director company, "Tuigamala and Sons of Glendene" for which the most notable client to date was the late King of Tonga, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Tuigamala was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby and the community.

In October 2009, he travelled to Samoa with David Tua to see how they could assist in the aftermath of the Samoa tsunami.

On 22 May 2014, he promoted a boxing event at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, New Zealand. The event was broadcast by New Zealand's Sky TV on pay-per-view. In the event, he and his two sons all fought, with all three winning their respective bouts.

Tuigamala completed season two of Match Fit to regain match fitness after suffering from sleep apnoea and type II diabetes, which was reversed by late 2021, and in the second season in 2021/22, he revealed he had adopted a plant-based diet, and had very healthy blood cholesterol levels. Despite that, he also suffered from gout. By the end of New Zealand's second COVID-19 lockdown, both his and Brad Mika's knees had recovered enough to bike. He was then able to reverse his diabetes. However, he was forced to leave day 2 of the union vs. league multi-sport relay due to a family emergency.

Tuigamala died on 24 February 2022, at the age of 52. At the time of his death, he had high blood pressure and had suffered a stroke in 2013.

In 2025, Tuigamala was posthumously inducted into the Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame.