Source: Tudor
The late Papali’itele Peter Fatialofa will be posthumously inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2019, World Rugby announced today. Fatialofa is one of six legends of the game to be inducted, alongside former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and former All Blacks coach Graham Henry, as well as Shiggy Konno (Japan), Os du Randt (South Africa), and Diego Ormaechea (Uruguay).
The World Rugby Hall of Fame, presented by Tudor, recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers, while also demonstrating rugby’s character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.
World Rugby Chairman and Hall of Fame inductee Sir Bill Beaumont said the awards celebrated the outstanding careers of the six new inductees, thanking them “for their immense footprint on our game”.
“Our beloved game of rugby would not be what it is today without the contributions of remarkable trailblazers, men and women, who form the World Rugby Hall of Fame. They are players and coaches, true legends of the game that have embodied our values and will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Peter Fatialofa (Samoa)
Born: 26 April, 1959 in Auckland, New Zealand | Died: 6 November, 2013
World Rugby Hall of Fame – Inductee No.146
A prouder individual never wore the Samoan jersey than the man affectionately known in rugby circles as “Fats”.
The all-action prop captained the Islanders when they achieved a breakthrough win against Wales on their Rugby World Cup debut in 1991, shocking their hosts and the rest of the world with a 16-13 victory in which he gave the final pass for Sila Vaifale’s match-winning try.
Under his inspirational leadership Western Samoa, as they were then known, went on to reach the quarter-finals and they did so again in South Africa four years later when he shared the captaincy with Pat Lam.
A fun-loving character who lived life to the full, Fatialofa was a hugely influential role model for Polynesian players throughout the Islands and in his birthplace of Auckland, New Zealand. He was a cornerstone of the Auckland pack that held the Ranfurly Shield from 1985-93 and a stalwart of the Ponsonby club.
After retiring with 34 caps to his name, the gentle giant worked as a director of his family-owned piano and furniture moving business, and was coaching the Samoan women’s rugby team when he died of a heart attack, aged just 54, in November 2013.
