Epalahame Lauaki

Infobox rugby league biography
playername = Epalahame Lauaki
fullname = Epalahame Lauaki
nickname = Laua, the Hulk, Eff, Epa


caption =
country =
position = Second Row
currentclub = leagueicon|New Zealand Warriors|size=16 New Zealand Warriors
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1984|01|27
placeofbirth =
countryofbirth = Tonga
height = convert|184|cm|ftin|abbr=on
weight = convert|110|kg|stlb|abbr=on
club1 = leagueicon|New Zealand Warriors|size=16 New Zealand Warriors
year1start = 2004
year1end =
appearances1 = 65
tries1 =
goals1 =
fieldgoals1 =
points1 = 40
teamA = leagueicon|New Zealand Kiwis|16 Junior Kiwis
yearAstart =
yearAend =
appearancesA =
triesA =
goalsA =
fieldgoalsA =
pointsA =
teamB = leagueicon|NZ|16 New Zealand
yearBstart = 2006
yearBend =
appearancesB = 1
triesB =
goalsB =
fieldgoalsB =
pointsB = 1
updated =
source =
new = yes

Epalahame Lauaki is a New Zealand rugby league player. He plays second row for the New Zealand Warriors and was selected for the New Zealand Kiwis 2006 tri-nations squad. He is brother of All Black Sione Lauaki. Epalahame was educated at Waitakere College (Auckland, New Zealand). He made his first-grade debut on March 14, 2004 against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. He is a big man capable of producing big hits and busting runs. He is a player that oppositions fear and when he comes off the bench he adds more intensity to the game. When the warriors tied 31-31 with the Sydney Roosters last year in the game dubbed the "match of the decade" he played a huge part. With the Warriors losing 16-0 coach Ivan Cleary injected Lauaki in the game with immediate effect. Within 10 minutes "Epa" as he is known, assisted two tries and scored one himself in a powerful run and dive at the try-line, flattening three Roosters players, to spark a wonderful comeback and at that stage the Warriors were leading 18-16 and were 30-18 ahead before a dubious decision by referee Shayne Hayne to sin-bin Warriors centre Simon Mannering let the Roosters score two tries before the close of the match. Stand-offs Braith Anasta and Michael Witt each added a drop-goal before full-time enabling the match to go into extra time. As no points were scored the match became the fourth ever match to be drawn since golden-point extra-time was introduce in 2003. Lauaki was unanimously declared man of the match and this really sparked his New Zealand Warriors career as a class player and an impact player. As an impact player he has made many astonishing plays to secure Warriors victories.

He has been named in the Tonga training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.cite web|url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12196_3935853,00.html|title=Tug-of-war over Mason|publisher=Sky Sports|date=2008-08-05|accessdate=2008-08-06]

He has been named in the Tonga squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7658506.stm|title=Samoa, Tonga and Fiji name squads|publisher=BBC|date=2008-10-08|accessdate=2008-10-09]

References

External links

* [http://www.warriors.co.nz/page/player_epalahame_lauaki.html New Zealand Warriors profile]