Chiefs Lock · New Zealand
Tupou Vaa’i
- Position
- Lock
- Country
- New Zealand
- Age
- 26
- Born
- 27 Jan 2000
- Height
- 1.98 m
- Weight
- not available
- Caps
- 47
- Test tries · pts
- not available
Season by season
— means no data from the provider| Season | App | St | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Int. Friendly Games · New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2026 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry · New Zealand | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 Nations Championship · New Zealand | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2026 Super Rugby · Chiefs | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Minutes are not recorded in the match feed for these matches.
Last five matches
- Won v Australia 50–19 Int. Friendly Games · · started 1 try
- Lost v South Africa 28–43 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry · · started
- Lost v South Africa 24–29 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry · · started
- Lost v South Africa 26–33 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry · · started
- Won v South Africa 33–16 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry · · started
Match by match
10 tracked matches| Attack | Total |
|---|---|
| Running metres | 221 |
| Carries | 77 |
| Clean breaks | 3 |
| Offloads | 7 |
| Try assists | 1 |
| Passes | 48 |
| Defence | Total |
|---|---|
| Tackles made | 93 |
| Tackles missed | 12 |
| Tackle success | 89% |
Int. Friendly Games 1 app · 1 try
| Match | Car | M | Tkl | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Australia 10 Oct 2026 · W 50–19 | 11 | 36 | 13 | 1 |
| Totals 1 app · 1 try | 11 | 36 | 13 | 1 |
Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 5 apps · 0 tries
| Match | Car | M | Tkl | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v South Africa 12 Sep 2026 · L 28–43 | 7 | 25 | 10 | 0 |
| v South Africa 5 Sep 2026 · L 24–29 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| v South Africa 29 Aug 2026 · L 26–33 | 11 | 17 | 8 | 0 |
| v South Africa 22 Aug 2026 · W 33–16 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| v Sharks 11 Aug 2026 · W 54–0 | 4 | 24 | 5 | 0 |
| Totals 5 apps · 0 tries | 33 | 92 | 34 | 0 |
Nations Championship 2 apps · 1 try
| Match | Car | M | Tkl | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Ireland 18 Jul 2026 · W 40–21 | 11 | 32 | 14 | 0 |
| v Italy 11 Jul 2026 · W 47–17 | 5 | 14 | 8 | 1 |
| Totals 2 apps · 1 try | 16 | 46 | 22 | 1 |
Super Rugby Pacific 2 apps · 1 try
| Match | Car | M | Tkl | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Hurricanes 20 Jun 2026 · L 5–60 | 8 | 19 | 10 | 0 |
| v Crusaders 12 Jun 2026 · W 49–12 | 9 | 28 | 14 | 1 |
| Totals 2 apps · 1 try | 17 | 47 | 24 | 1 |
WeTalkRugby Rating
About Tupou Vaa’i
Tupou Vaai is a 198cm lock who New Zealand have repeatedly used at blindside flanker, and the versatility has been both his value and his obstacle.
He is an unusual athlete for the size — genuinely mobile in the wider channels, comfortable handling, and a reliable lineout option in both jerseys. That combination is why coaches keep moving him, and why he has sometimes been the player who fills the gap rather than the player the team is built around.
He came through the Chiefs and has been a regular since he was 20.
His Test career has run alongside the end of the Retallick and Whitelock era, which has meant the second row moving from the most settled unit in the side to one of the least.
He was born in 2000 and has been in and around the All Blacks squad for most of his adult life, which is easy to forget given how young he still is.
His best rugby is probably still ahead of the 2027 cycle rather than behind it.
