Vilimoni Delasau

Vilimoni Waqatabu Delasau (born 12 July 1977 in Sorokaba, Ba) is a Fijian former rugby union footballer. He played as a wing. His nickname is Delz.

Vilimoni Delasau
Birth nameVilimoni Waqatabu Delasau
Date of birth (1977-07-12) 12 July 1977
Place of birthSorokaba, Ba, Fiji
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight99 kg (15 st 8 lb; 218 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, inside centre
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1998–1999
2000–2002
2002–2003
2004–2006
2006–2008
2008–2010
2010–2012		 Lautoka
Montois
Yamaha
Canterbury
Clermont
Montauban
Toulouse


7
26
40
23


(5)
(70)
(80)
(20)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2005
2006		 Crusaders
Highlanders		 4
8		 (0)
(10)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2000-08
2008		 Fiji
Pacific Islanders		 29
3		 (55)
(10)
Correct as of 21 November 2011
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
1998–2005 Fiji 17
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing  Fiji
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester Team competition

Early career

He grew up in the Town of Ba and he played for Lautoka in the National Provincial Rugby Tournament in Fiji. He was picked to represent Fiji in the Rugby Sevens. He scored 85 tries for the Fiji sevens. In 1999 Delasau was named Player of the Year at the Fiji Rugby Awards after scoring 82 tries in the season. He earned his first Test cap against the US Eagles in June 2000 after impressing in the sevens form of the game the previous year. He also holds the record for scoring the most tries in a sevens game with 6 tries.[1]

Delasau training with Toulouse

Europe

He then went to Japan and played there for two years before going to France and playing for the Mont-de-Marsan rugby club where he played 5 games for them scoring 3 tries. After that he returned to Fiji and was chosen to represent the Canterbury in the NPC. He later represented the Crusaders in the Super 12 competition and in late 2005, he represented the Highlanders in the Super 14 competition. After his short stint, he moved to France to join ASM Clermont Auvergne where he represented them in the Top 14 and in the ECC competition. He scored a few good tries for clermont including a 90-metre run against London Wasps in the 2007–08 Heineken Cup which was awarded the try of the season.[2] He joined his new club, US Montauban after his contract with Clermont expired and he chose not to renew it.

He represented Fiji in the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the 2007 World Cup he scored one of the tries as Fiji defeated Wales to reach their first quarter final in 20 years,[3] and he also scored a try in the quarter-final defeat to South Africa.[4] He was also part of the Fiji sevens at the 2001, 2005 and 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Later career

In April 2010 he joined Toulouse as a medical joker as they suffered numerous injuries.[5] Montauban suffered a points deduction for financial irregularities and will be relegated at the end of the 2009/2010 season.[6] He scored his first try against Castres on just his second game for his new team.

In February 2012, he retired from International rugby.[7]

References
  1. "My Rugby World Cup hero: Vilimoni Delasau". Planet Rugby. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. "London Wasps v ASM Clermont Auvergne". ERCRugby.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  3. "Wales 34-38 Fiji". BBC. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  4. "South Africa 37-20 Fiji". BBC. 7 October 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  5. "Delasau heads to Toulouse". SkySports.com. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  6. "Montauban thrown out of Top 14". PlanetRugby.com. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  7. No more Test rugby for Dels
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