Charles Piutau

Charles Piutau

Piutau before a match against Harlequin F.C., February 2019
Full name	Salesi Tu'ipulotu Piutau
Date of birth	(1991-10-31) 31 October 1991 (age 29)
Place of birth	Auckland, New Zealand
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb; 15 st 10 lb)
School	Wesley College
Notable relative(s)	Siale Piutau (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback, Wing, Centre Current team Bristol All Black No. 1122 Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2010–2015 Auckland 34 (45) 2012–2015 Blues 41 (40) 2015–2016 Wasps 25 (50) 2016–2018 Ulster 45 (60) 2018– Bristol 49 (65) Correct as of 23 September 2021 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2010 Tonga U20 5 (5) 2011 New Zealand U20 4 (30) 2013–2015 New Zealand 17 (25) 2013 Barbarian F.C. 1 (5) Correct as of 23 September 2021 National sevens team(s) Years Team Comps 2011–2012 New Zealand 9 Correct as of 3 May 2020

Salesi Tu'ipulotu "Charles" Piutau (born 31 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing) position for England club Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and formerly for New Zealand's national team the All Blacks.

Early life[]

Piutau was born in New Zealand, from Tongan parents. He grew up on the Auckland suburb of Mangere and attended Wesley College.^[1] He is the youngest of 10 children.^[2]

Rugby playing career[]

Junior level[]

In 2010, Piutau represented Tonga at the IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina. Piutau was the top try scorer for the New Zealand Under-20s in their 2011 World Championship winning campaign.

Charles played club rugby for Pakuranga United Rugby Club. He is the younger brother of Bristol Bears centre Siale Piutau.

Club career[]

Piutau made his debut for Auckland in 2010, his first year out of high school, and was named Auckland Under 20 player of the year.^{[citation needed]} He was brought into the Blues squad to cover injuries at the tail end of the 2012 Super Rugby season and proved his skills with two 'man of the match' appearances.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 April 2015, it was announced Piutau would join Irish club Ulster from the start of the 2016–17 season.^[3]

Piutau signed for English club Wasps in the Aviva Premiership during the 2015-16 season.^[4] During his season at Wasps, Piutau had a strong impact. He scored a try in the 80th minute against Exeter Chiefs in the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final to help Wasps reach the semi-final. Piutau was nominated for the Aviva Premiership Player of the Season and was named in the Team of the Season.

In August 2017, Ulster confirmed that Piutau would be leaving the province at the end of the 2017–18 Pro14 season to join Bristol Bears.^[5]

International career[]

Piutau joined the All Blacks training squad during the 2013 Super Rugby season. On 22 June, he made his test debut against France in New Plymouth. He was not selected for the 2015 World Cup, a factor in his decision to move to play club rugby in Europe.^[6]

Test Match Record[]

Against	Pld	W	D	L	Tri	Con	Pen	DG	Pts	%Won
France	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	100
Australia	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Argentina	3	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	100
South Africa	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Japan	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	100
England	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
United States	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	100
Samoa	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Scotland	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Wales	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
Total	17	17	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	100

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored

Personal life[]

Piutau married in July 2018.^[8]

Piutau has invested in houses in Auckland.^[9]

References[]

External links[]

• Charles Piutau at AllBlacks.com
• Blues player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 9 February 2013)
• Auckland player profile
• Charles Piutau at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series