Sefa Naivalu

{{Infobox rugby union biography

| name = Sefa Naivalu

| image = File:2017.06.24.16.10.01-2nd Naivalu try-0001 (35456426791) (cropped).jpg

| caption =

| fullname = Sefanaia Naivalu

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|01|07|df=y}}

| birth_place = Levuka, Fiji

| height = {{convert|1.86|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|101|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}}

| occupation =

| school =

| university =

| relatives =

| position = Centre / Wing

| currentclub = US Carcassonne

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 2014−2018

| clubs1 = Melbourne Rising

| apps1 = 9

| points1 = 30

| years2 = 2015–2018

| clubs2 = {{Rut|Rebels}}

| apps2 = 46

| points2 = 80

| years3 = 2019

| clubs3 = {{Rut|Reds}}

| apps3 = 13

| points3 = 15

| years4 = 2019-2024

| clubs4 = Stade Francais

| apps4 = 50

| points4 = 85

| years5 = 2024-

| clubs5 = US Carcassonne

| apps5 = 9

| points5 = 0

| amatyears1 = −2013

| amatteam1 = Ovalau Rugby Club

| amatcaps1 =

| amatpoints1 =

| amatyears2 = 2014

| amatteam2 = Box Hill Broncos

| amatcaps2 =

| amatpoints2 =

| repyears1 = 2016−

| repteam1 = Australia

| repcaps1 = 9

| reppoints1 = 25

| clubupdate = 12 April 2025

| repupdate = 16 November 2018

}}

Sefanaia Naivalu (born 7 January 1992), known simply as Sefa, is an Australian rugby union professional player who currently plays as a centre or wing for US Carcassonne in the French third tier, the Championnat Fédéral Nationale.{{cite web | url=http://www.melbournerebels.com.au/team/sefanaia-naivalu | title=Sefanaia Naivalu Melbourne Rebels Player Profile | work=Rebels Rugby | accessdate=10 December 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://www.melbournerebels.com.au/news/article/rebels-make-history-signing-box-hill-speedster-sefanaia-naivalu | title=Rebels make history signing Box Hill speedster Sefanaia Naivalu | work=Rebels Rugby | date = 9 September 2014 | accessdate=10 December 2014}} He also represented Melbourne Rising in the inaugural National Rugby Championship.{{cite web | url=http://www.melbournerebels.com.au/community/competitions/elite/rising#sefanaia-naivalu | title=Sefanaia Naivalu Melbourne Rising Player Profile | work=Melbourne Rising Rugby | accessdate=10 December 2014}} He has a 100 metre recorded time of 10.5seconds in 2011.{{Cite web | title = Records & Rankings | author = | work = WordPress.com | date = | accessdate = 2017-04-26 | url = https://athletics-oceania.com/records-rankings/ | quote = Pacific Island All Time Rankings }}

Career

File:Sefa Naivalu June 2017.jpg

Naivalu started out his rugby career with the Ovalau Rugby Club in his native Fiji before moving to Australia at the beginning of 2014 with the Rugby Plus Program. He joined the Box Hill Broncos who play in the local Dewar Shield in Victoria and made an immediate impact by becoming the leading try and point scorer in the competition which in turn saw his side reach the tournament's Grand Final.

These performance brought him to the attention of the newly formed Melbourne Rising who competed in the first ever National Rugby Championship in 2014. 5 tries in 5 appearances at the beginning of the season{{cite web | url=http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player_32834.html | title=Sefanaia Naivalu itsrugby Player Statistics | work=itsrugby | accessdate=10 December 2014}} were enough to convince local Super Rugby franchise the Melbourne Rebels of his worth and he made history by becoming the first Rebel ever to be signed directly from a Dewar Shield side.

For the 2016 Rugby Championship, wallabies coach Michael Cheika called Sefa Naivalu for the 33 men squad in preparation for the test against South Africa and Argentina, although the player will not be eligible until September the 18th, one day after the match between the Wallabies and the Pumas.

On 22 March 2019, Naivalu would travel to France to sign for Top 14 side Stade Francais from the 2019-20 season after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.{{cite news|url=https://www.talkingrugbyunion.co.uk/australia-international-sefa-naivalu-to-head-to-stade-francais-after-world-cup/22530.htm|publisher=Talking Rugby Union|title=Australia international Sefa Naivalu to head to Stade Francais after World Cup|date=22 March 2019|accessdate=20 April 2021}}

Super Rugby statistics

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:70%;"
2015	{{Rut\|Rebels}}	13	8	5	561	4	0	0	0	20	1	0
2016	{{Rut\|Rebels}}	10	9	1	707	6	0	0	0	30	0	0
2017	{{Rut\|Rebels}}	9	9	0	702	1	0	0	0	5	0	0
2018	{{Rut\|Rebels}}	14	8	6	641	5	0	0	0	25	0	0
colspan="2"\|Total \|\| 46 \|\| 34 \|\| 12 \|\| 2611 \|\| 16 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 80 \|\| 1 \|\| 0