Tuqiri
Lote Tuqiri is a former dual-code international who represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union.
Lote Tuqiri Bio
Lote Tuqiri is a former winger and centre who represented Australia in both codes of the game. He was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Lote Tuqiri began his rugby-playing career with rugby league side Brisbane Broncos. After winning the side’s Rookie of the Year award in 1999, he solidified his place in the first team and helped guide the side to the NRL title in 2000. At this time, he also represented Fiji at the 2000 World Cup. Unsurprisingly, the year after, he was selected to play for Queensland in the 2001 State of Origin series. As a result of the successes he experienced, Lote Tuqiri was selected to play for Australia for the first time in 2001.
After rumours had been swirling for years, Lote Tuqiri finally announced that he was leaving rugby league and signing for the New South Wales Waratahs in 2003. His switch of codes immediately proved successful, and his combination of pace and power meant that he was selected for Australia for the first time later in the same year.
Lote Tuqiri then stayed with the Waratahs and Australia until 2009. However, when he was released from his contract, he signed for Leicester Tigers. But, he only stayed in England for one season before he returned to Australia and rugby league. Bar one three-month stint with Leinster in 2013, he stayed a rugby league player for the rest of his career, representing Wests Tigers and South Sydney. He also returned to playing international rugby league for Fiji and retired from the sport in 2014. At the time of his retirement, he had represented Australia nine times in rugby league and 67 times in rugby union.
Since retiring from rugby, Lote Tuqiri has founded his own content marketing agency. He’s also worked as a model.
