George Latu

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George Latu
Date of birth (1965-01-01) January 1, 1965 (age 57)
Place of birthApia, Samoa
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight201 lb (91 kg)
UniversityUniversity of Canterbury
Notable relative(s)Victoria Latu
Occupation(s)Barrister and Solicitor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Tight head Prop
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1992
1996		 Canterbury University
Invercargill		 ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1994-1995 ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1992
1996		 Canterbury
Southland		 4
4		 (4)
(0)
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1993-1994
1994-1995		  Tonga
 Samoa
10
(0)

Matafeo George Latu (born January 1, 1965) is a New Zealand trained barrister and solicitor and a graduate of Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). He also has a Bachelor of Theology (B.Theo) and is a lay preacher. He is a former dual international rugby union player. He is currently the Managing Partner of Latu Lawyers, a small boutique law firm located in Apia, Samoa.

Career[]

On attending Canterbury University to study law, Latu played for the University Club in Christchurch where his contemporaries included Todd Blackadder and Steve Hansen.

He represented both his father's (Mana Latu) country Tonga, as a member of the Ikale Tahi National team from 1993 to 1994, and then his mother's (Galumalemana Netina Schmidt, née Galo) country Samoa, in the Manu Samoa National team from 1994 to 1996. He played in the Manu Samoa team in the 1995 Rugby World Cup hosted in South Africa, where he replaced the injured rugby legend Papali’itele Peter Fatialofa. Latu was a specialist tighthead prop and first played rugby whilst a boarder at New Plymouth Boys High School in New Zealand.

He played in Christchurch, New Zealand in the 1990s including a few games at representative level for Canterbury, and played the 1996 NPC season for Southland in Invercargill,[1] before returning to Samoa to take up a state solicitor role in the Samoa Attorney Generals Office.

His first international cap was in 1993 for Tonga, and for Samoa during a match against Tonga, at Moamoa, on June 4, 1994. He was part of the 1995 Rugby World Cup roster, where he played three matches. His last international cap was during the Manu Samoa tour of the British Isles in 1997.

After career[]

Latu has been Club Captain of Vaimoso Rugby Club, an honorary solicitor for the Samoa Rugby Union; He was appointed as a Judicial Officer for IRB (2009-2014) until his election as Secretary of the SRU in 2015. He was made Vice Chairman in 2016, a position which he held until 2018. He is currently a World Rugby Judicial Officer.

Latu has been a commentator for rugby matches for Samoa TV1 along with Mathew Vaea.

From 2016-2018 he was appointed as Samoa’s representative on the Oceania Rugby Executive Board .and attended the World Rugby Congress in London in 2018.[2][3]

Latu is the Managing Partner of Latu Lawyers, a law firm located in Apia Samoa, and is in partnership together with his wife Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu,[4] a former Attorney General of Samoa (1997-2006) and Crown Counsel with the Crown Law Office, New Zealand (1991-1996). The firm specialises in banking and commercial transactions. The partners also undertake legal consultancies both locally and regionally.

Latu graduated with a Bachelor of Theology (B.Theo) from the Apia Harvest Center Bible College in 2015 which is an accredited with the Samoa Qualifications Authority.

Latu is the holder of the following chiefly titles : Togia from Lefaga; Matafeo from Asaga, Punafelutu from Lano and Namulauulu from Fogapoa.

References[]

  1. ^ "George Latu". New Zealand Rugby History. 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  2. ^ Sport: Samoa appoints new Oceania Rugby rep
  3. ^ Sport: New Samoa Rugby rep wants to build relationship with players
  4. ^ "Taulapapa new Chair of Oceania Rugby Judicial Committee". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 2021-06-16.

External links[]

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