Mose Tuiali’i was an outstanding schoolboy player at Auckland’s Kelston Boys High who as a tall, athletic loose forward made the national secondary schools side in 1999.

But his chances in Auckland, because of the many players of similar ability, were always limited and like many other Northerners Tuiali’i found a switch to the equally competitive environment of Canterbury to his advantage.

After going to the Crusaders in 2004 as a draft player, Tuali’i soon made the move a permanent one and until 2008, when he transferred to Yamaha in Japan, he was one of the most effective players for both the Crusaders and Canterbury as a No 8.

In 2002 he was in the development sides of both Auckland and the Blues and his first class debut came in the 2003 Super 12 when as a member of the Blues wider squad he came from the bench for three appearances. Later that year he was on loan to Northland for the national provincial championship in which he made 12 appearances.

He made a big impact for the Crusaders in 2004, and when called into the All Blacks for his test debut against Argentina in Hamilton, when he celebrated with a try, he had never played a first class game for his home union.

In the 2004 domestic season he played another two tests, coming on as a second spell replacement for his provincial captain Xavier Rush in the tri-nations matches against Australia in Sydney and South Africa in Johannesburg.

He then went on the end-of-year tour playing against Italy, Wales and the Barbarians. But in 2004, despite by now being an All Black, he battled for a regular Auckland position and of his six appearances for the union four were from the bench.

So it was not surprising that from 2005 Canterbury and the Crusaders became his sides and for each he experienced many highlights.

He was in the 2005 Crusaders side which won the Super 12 and that which won the Super 14 titles in 2006 and 2008. He was in the Canterbury side which lifted the Ranfurly Shield from Waikato in 2007, but missed the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup final because of a late season injury.

Despite his consistently good form for the Crusaders and Canterbury, Tuiali’i never became a regular All Black selection. He went on the Grand Slam tour of 2005, playing the test against Ireland and coming on as a replacement against England and Wales. But his only other All Black game was the 2006 international against Argentina in Buenos Aires when, with the rotation selection policy in full swing, many first string players were rested.

His last involvement with national sides came with the Junior All Blacks when he played in all five of the matches in the 2007 International Board’s Pacific Nations championship.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Moses Moses Tuiali’i

BORN

Wednesday, 25 March 1981 in Auckland

AGE

29

PHYSICAL

1.94m, 112kg

POSITION

Number 8

LAST SCHOOL

Kelston Boys' High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Suburbs

PROVINCES

Auckland, Canterbury

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 26 June 2004
v Argentina at Hamilton
aged 23 years, 93 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 26 June 2004
v Argentina at Hamilton
aged 23 years, 93 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 24 June 2006
v Argentina at Buenos Aires
aged 25 years, 91 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

9 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

1 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

10 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

1042

The All Black Games that Tuiali’i played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

2004

 26 Jun vs Argentina at Hamilton 41-7  

 7 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 18-23 (+) 

 14 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 26-40 (+) 

 13 Nov vs Italy at Rome 59-10  

 20 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 26-25  

 4 Dec vs Barbarians at London 47-19 (+) 

2005

 12 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 45-7  

 19 Nov vs England at London 23-19 (+) 

 26 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 29-10 (+) 

2006

 24 Jun vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 25-19  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Argentina, 26 Jun 2004

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

1

0

0

0

5

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Australia

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

England

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Italy

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Scotland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

South Africa

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

9

7

0

2

1

0

0

0

5