Henry Speight

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Henry Speight

| image = 2017.08.19.20.24.10-Henry Speight (35901617573).jpg

| image_size = 175

| caption = Speight playing against New Zealand, August 2017

| fullname = Ratu Henry Vao'ofu Speight

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|03|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Suva, Fiji

| height = {{convert|186|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|97|kg|lb stlb|0|abbr=on}}

| school = Queen Victoria School and Hamilton Boys' High School

| university =

| relatives = Samisoni Tikoinasau (father)
George Speight (uncle)
Josefa Iloilo (grandfather)
Kavu Iloilo (grandmother)

| occupation =

| spouse =

| position = Wing

| currentclub = {{Rut|Biarritz}}

| allblackno =

| allblackid =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 2008–2011

| clubs1 = Waikato

| apps1 = 34

| points1 = 40

| years2 = 2011–2019

| clubs2 = Brumbies

| apps2 = 122

| points2 = 230

| years3 = 2014–2017

| clubs3 = Canberra Vikings

| apps3 = 5

| points3 = 18

| years4 = 2018

| clubs4 = Ulster

| apps4 = 12

| points4 = 15

| years5 = 2020

| clubs5 = Reds

| apps5 = 7

| points5 = 15

| years6 = 2020–pres

| clubs6= Biarritz

| apps6 = 24

| points6 = 20

| years7 = 2024–pres

| clubs7= Wests

| apps7 = -

| points7 = -

| clubupdate = 20 Feb 2022

| repyears1 = 2007

| repteam1 = Fiji U19

| repcaps1 = 5

| reppoints1 = 25

| repyears2 = 2014–2017

| repteam2 = Australia

| repcaps2 = 19

| reppoints2 = 20

| repupdate = 24 May 2019

| ru_sevensnationalyears1 = 2015

| ru_sevensnationalteam1 = Australia

| ru_sevensnationalcomp1 = 2

| ru_sevensupdate = 24 May 2019

}}

Ratu Henry Vao'ofu Speight (born 24 March 1988) is a Fiji-born Australian professional rugby union player. He currently plays for the French club Biarritz. Speight was previously with the Brumbies and Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, and has represented Australia with the Wallabies and national sevens team. He is currently playing for Wests in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition. His playing position is wing or centre.

Early life and career

Henry Speight is the son of Fijian politician Samisoni Tikoinasau{{cite web | date = 16 February 2011 | first = Josefa | last = Makaba | title = Brumbies believe Speight's a threat | url = http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=166197 | publisher = Fiji Times | access-date = 28 February 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120908015259/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=166197 | archive-date = 8 September 2012 | url-status = dead }} and the grandson of former Fiji President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo.{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/rugby-world-cup-2015/news/late-fiji-president-josefa-iloilo-told-grandson-henry-speight-to-snub-all-blacks-and-play-for-wallabies/news-story/2f14a411cddd53e99e76114f3ba5e2b0|title=President told Speight to play for Wallabies|access-date=2016-12-05}} He was born in Suva, Fiji, where he attended Queen Victoria School before moving to New Zealand for his final years of high school.

His first taste of pro-rugby came in his final year at Hamilton Boys High School, when he was picked for Waikato, making his debut against the Bay of Plenty in 2008.{{cite web | date = 13 August 2008 | title = Young Speight in long-awaited Mooloo debut | url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/578695/Young-Speight-in-long-awaited-Mooloo-debut | publisher=Stuff News | access-date = 28 February 2013}} Speight went on to represent the province over four seasons.{{cite web | date = 2 September 2011 | title = Surprises in Waikato selections for NPC final | url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/5555209/Surprises-in-Waikato-selections-for-NPC-final | publisher=Stuff News | access-date = 28 February 2013}} Not eligible for the New Zealand Schoolboys, Speight represented his native Fiji in the same year at the Junior World Cup in Belfast.{{cite web|last=ACT Brumbies |title=Henry Speight Bio |url=http://www.brumbies.com.au/Team/PlayerProfile/tabid/1208/playerid/25/Default.aspx |access-date=10 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828074745/http://brumbies.com.au/Team/PlayerProfile/tabid/1208/playerid/25/Default.aspx |archive-date=28 August 2013 }}

Super Rugby and Australia

Speight made his Brumbies debut during the 2011 Super Rugby season against the Chiefs in Canberra. After becoming eligible for national selection, on 11 September 2014,[http://www.espn.co.uk/australia/rugby/story/212011.html Henry Speight eligible for Wallabies from September] Speight made his Wallabies debut during the 2014 Spring Tour against Ireland.{{Cite web|url=http://stats.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/match/208369.html|title=Ireland v Australia|website=ESPN scrum|access-date=2016-12-05}}

In early 2018 Speight signed with Australia for at least one more year, showing his dedication to Australian rugby despite offers of contracts by foreign clubs.[http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/03/25/wallabies-brumbies-henry-speight-re-signs Speight re-signs with Wallabies]

After signing a short deal in late 2018 with Ulster as a temporary replacement for the injured Louis Ludik, he returned to the Brumbies for the 2019 season before joining the Queensland Reds for the 2020 season. Speight's first game was against his old team, the Brumbies. He scored a try in that match to officially make him the only player to have scored tries against all 18 (current and former) super rugby teams.

Speight then moved to France on a 3-year contract with Biarritz Olympique.{{cite news |date=14 June 2020 |title=Reds release Wallaby Speight to Biarritz |work=The Canberra Times |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6792449/reds-release-wallaby-speight-to-biarritz/?cs=14238

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210327015743/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6792449/reds-release-wallaby-speight-to-biarritz/?cs=14238 |archive-date=27 March 2021}}

In 2024, Speight joined Wests for the Queensland Premier Rugby competition. {{Cite web|url=https://reds.rugby/news/qpr-storelocal-hospital-cup-countdown-easts-brothers-souths-bond-uni-wests-202444|title=QPR StoreLocal Hospital Cup Countdown|website=QRU|date=4 April 2024 |access-date=2024-04-05}}

Super Rugby statistics

{{updated|12 March 2020}}{{cite web | url=http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player_8728.html | title=Player Statistics | work=its rugby | access-date=20 March 2017}}

Season	Team	Games	Starts	Sub	Mins	Tries	Cons	Pens	Drops	Points	Yel	Red
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; line-height:90%; font-size:95%; width:60%;"
2011	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	12	11	1	837	3	0	0	0	15	0	0
2012	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	16	15	1	1137	8	0	0	0	40	0	0
2013	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	18	18	0	1377	8	0	0	0	40	0	0
2014	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	11	11	0	798	3	0	0	0	15	1	0
2015	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	17	17	0	1316	4	0	0	0	20	0	1
2016	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	4	4	0	267	1	0	0	0	5	0	0
2017	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	16	16	0	1256	7	0	0	0	35	0	0
2018	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	14	14	0	1075	7	0	0	0	35	0	0
2019	{{Rut\|Brumbies}}	14	14	0	976	5	0	0	0	25	0	0
2020	{{Rut\|Reds}}	6	6	0	480	3	0	0	0	15	0	0
colspan="2"\|Total \|\| 128 \|\| 126 \|\| 2 \|\| 9519 \|\| 49 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 245 \|\| 1 \|\| 1

References

External links

{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828074745/http://brumbies.com.au/Team/PlayerProfile/tabid/1208/playerid/25/Default.aspx |date=28 August 2013 |title=Brumbies profile }}

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Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Fijian rugby union players

Category:Australia international rugby union players

Category:Rugby union wings

Category:Biarritz Olympique players

Category:ACT Brumbies players

Category:Canberra Vikings players