Introduction
Lopeti Timani (born 28 September 1990) is a Tongan-born, Australian professional rugby union footballer. His usual position is Number Eight or Flanker. After two seasons with the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby, he signed on to play for the Melbourne Rebels in 2014.
Early life
Lopeti Timani was born in the Tongan village of Navutoka. His older brothers Sione Timani and Sitaleki Timani are both international rugby players.
He attended Tonga College 'Atele on Tonga. In 2008 he was selected for Tonga's under-20s rugby world championship team at the age of 17, but could not play because of the minimum age limit of 18 imposed by the International Rugby Board.
At age 18 he moved to Australia and switched codes, playing rugby league for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL's Toyota Cup competition in 2009 and 2010.
Rugby union career
In 2011, Timani returned to rugby union, joining the Junior Waratahs professional squad where he played in the Pacific Rugby Cup. He played for the Southern Districts Rugby Club in the Shute Shield, where he developed his ability to play at lock in addition to the back row.
He signed an extended player squad contract with the Waratahs for the 2012 season, and made his Super Rugby debut against the Reds in round one. He played against the British & Irish Lions in 2013.
Timani signed with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Super Rugby Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Waratahs | 14 | 0 | 14 | 365 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Waratahs | 5 | 1 | 4 | 197 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Rebels | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Rebels | 15 | 15 | 0 | 893 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Rebels | 12 | 12 | 0 | 777 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 48 | 28 | 20 | 2252 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 0 | |