New Zealand born Samoan centre Tafeaga ‘Junior’ Sa’u played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2023. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career, earning 25 caps in his 2 seasons there.

Sa’u is a dual-codes player and represented both New Zealand and Samoa for rugby league. His signing was announced in early January 2022 ahead of that year’s MLR season, joining from the Leigh Centurions (now Leigh Leopards) Rugby League team in England. In his debut MLR season, he appeared in 15 of DC’s 16 regular season games, starting 14 of them and scoring 9 tries, tying him for 4th in the regular season alongside Old Glory teammate Peni Lasaqa. Following the 2022 MLR season, Sa’u headed back to the UK to play with the Keighley Cougars, another Rugby League side in the Betfred Championship, before Old Glory DC announced that they had re-signed Sa’u for the 2023 season.

In his sophomore MLR season, Sa’u earned another 10 caps (all starts), scoring 3 more tries on a vastly improved DC side that earned a playoff berth for the first time in club history. Old Glory DC would advance to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to eventual champions, the New England Free Jacks, 25-7 in Quincy. A then-35 year old Sa’u started both games of DC’s inaugural Championship Series run.

On August 22nd 2023, the Keighley Cougars announced that Sa’u had signed a 1yr contract with the rugby league side. With the Betfred Championship season running from roughly February-October, this ruled Sa’u out of making a return to MLR in 2024.

Achievements

• T-4th in MLR Try Scoring: 2022 (9)
• MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Week 12