Casey Laulala received only two test caps, possibly because his career coincided with those of two other fine centres in Conrad Smith and Richard Kahui, but he had a successful career in New Zealand rugby and was highly regarded in the Canterbury-Crusaders professional environment.

Samoan-born, Laulala came to New Zealand to attend Wesley College, near Pukekohe, from where he followed a notable pathway, which has also featured Jonah Lomu, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Stephen Donald, into Counties-Manukau representative sides as teenagers.

Having played for the national under 19 side in 2001, Laulala made 13 appearances in the national championship first division and another 10 for Counties when in 2002 the union was in the second division.

Even though it was a difficult period for Counties Laulala made a strong impression in his early representative days, using his robust physique to good effect as both a punishing line-breaker and as a fierce defender.

But from 2003 onwards he was based in Canterbury and after two impressive seasons in the NPC first division he was taken on the 2004 short European tour. He played in the narrow international win over Wales and then against a Barbarians selection composed almost entirely of Southern Hemisphere players. Laulala scored a try in the All Blacks’ 47-19 win.

Laulala was plainly of international standard, but in subsequent seasons he was mainly used in New Zealand’s second tier side, the Junior All Blacks. He played twice for that side in 2005 and in three other games in 2007 and his only other test was against Argentina in Buenos Aires in the 2006 season when a number of first choice players were rested.

He also had more than his share of injury setbacks, which affected a number of his campaigns both with the Crusaders and Canterbury. But for both those sides he enjoyed many successes and when at full fitness he was almost invariably an automatic choice. With his size and speed, especially in latter seasons, he was generally his side’s most penetrative back.

He was in the Canterbury side which won the NPC first division title in 2004 and 2009-10 and was in winning Ranfurly Shield teams in 2004 (against Bay of Plenty) and 2007 (against Waikato). And he was in three Crusaders sides which won the Super 12 final in 2005 and the Super 14 in 2006 and 2008.

He will be always associated with the celebrated, fog-bound final against the Hurricanes in 2006, for he powered over for the match’s only try and what was to prove the decisive score.

Still with plenty to offer, Laulala left New Zealand rugby at the end of 2009 season to play for the Cardiff Blues in Wales. Of his 158 New Zealand first class games 65 had been for Canterbury and 61 for the Crusaders.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Casey Daniel Eti Laulala

BORN

Monday, 3 May 1982 in Moto'otua

AGE

28

PHYSICAL

1.86m, 100kg

POSITION

Centre

LAST SCHOOL

Wesley College

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Marist Albion

PROVINCE

Canterbury

SUPER 14 TEAM

Crusaders

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 20 November 2004
v Wales at Cardiff
aged 22 years, 201 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 20 November 2004
v Wales at Cardiff
aged 22 years, 201 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 17 June 2006
v Ireland at Auckland
aged 24 years, 45 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

2 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

1 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

3 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

1048

The All Black Games that Laulala played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

2004

 20 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 26-25  

 4 Dec vs Barbarians at London 47-19  

2006

 17 Jun vs Ireland at Auckland 27-17  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Barbarians, 4 Dec 2004

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

1

0

0

0

5

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

2

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0