Lukhan Salakaia-Loto

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Lukhan Salakaia-Loto - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto

Birth name

Lukhan Herman Lealaiauloto Tui

Date of birth

19 September 1996 (age 28)

Place of birth

Auckland, New Zealand

Height

1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) ^[1]

Weight

123 kg (19 st 5 lb) ^[1]

School

John Edmondson High, NSW

Rugby union career

Senior career
Position(s)	Lock, Flanker, Number 8
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2015	Randwick	1	(0)
2016–2022	Brothers Old Boys ^[2]	1	(0)
2016–2022	Brisbane City	11	(12)
2022–2023	Northampton Saints	24	(10)
Correct as of 8 June 2023
Super Rugby
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2016–2022	Queensland Reds	69	(20)
2024	Melbourne Rebels	8	(0)
Correct as of 16 November 2024
International career
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2015–2016	Australia U20	10
2017–	Australia	30	(10)
Correct as of 8 June 2023

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (formerly Lukhan Tui, born 19 September 1996), is an Australian rugby union player. He plays for the Northampton Saints in Premiership Rugby. He has played for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, and his usual position is lock but he has also played in the backrow for the Australia national team particularly at blindside flanker.^[3]

Family and early life

Lukhan Herman Lealaiauloto Tui was born to parents Herman Lealaiauloto [Ermehn] and Teresa Tuimaseve, his mother, at Otara, South Auckland in New Zealand before he moved with his mother to Sydney, Australia, at a young age.

He changed his name to Lukhan Salakaia-Loto later as an adult in 2018 following the death of the stepfather who had raised him,^[4] hyphenating Salakaia as the surname of his late stepfather, mother and siblings with Loto from part of his birth father's last name.^[4] Lukhan's Samoan bloodline comes from the villages of Lelepa in Savaii and Faleula in Upolu.

Lukhan attended John Edmondson High School in Liverpool, Australia.^[5] He initially played junior rugby league and was selected in age-group teams for Western Suburbs,^[6] and NSW Samoa.^[7]

Rugby career

He joined the Randwick club in 2014 to play rugby union for their colts side.^[8] In 2015, he played for Randwick's first grade Shute Shield team,^[9] and was named (as Lukhan Lealaiaulolo-Tui) for the Australia under-20 team ^[10] that played in the World Junior Championship in Italy.^[11]

Later in 2015, he signed a three-year deal with the Queensland Reds.^[12] Tui made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds against the Bulls in Pretoria on 16 April 2016.^[5]

He was selected in the Queensland Country squad for the National Rugby Championship in 2015,^[5] but did not play for that side due to injury. He made his NRC debut the following season for the Brisbane City team.

In 2017, national coach Michael Cheika named Lukhan Tui on the bench for Australia in the match against South Africa at Bloemfontein,^[13] and he made his international debut on 30 September 2017,^[14] replacing Adam Coleman after the first hour in a 27-all tied test.^[15]

On 1 March 2022, it was confirmed that Salakaia-Loto would move to England to join Northampton Saints in the Premiership Rugby ahead of the 2022-23 season.^[16]

In January 2023, Salakaia-Loto was suspended for four weeks following his sending-off for dangerous play in a Champions Cup match against La Rochelle.^[17]

Super Rugby statistics

As of 8 June 2023^[18]

Season	Team	Games	Starts	Sub	Mins	Tries	Points	Yel
2016	Reds	4	1	3	86	0	0	0
2017	Reds	9	6	3	422	0	0	0
2018	Reds	6	4	2	348	0	0	1
2019	Reds	15	14	1	1,028	0	0	1
2020	Reds	7	6	1	437	2	10	0
2020 AU	Reds	10	10	0	725	1	5	0
2021 AU	Reds	7	7	0	557	1	5	0
2021 TT	Reds	5	4	1	349	0	0	0
2022	Reds	6	4	2	281	0	0	0
Total		69	56	13	4,233	4	20	2

References

^ ^a ^b "Lukhan Tui". Australian Rugby. 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^ Tucker, Jim (8 March 2016). "The Tight Five with Jim Tucker: Reds players must fire up, phony suspensions and the howler of the round". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ Phillips, Sam (29 March 2016). "Queensland Reds prospect Lukhan Tui likened to Brad Thorn — by the great man himself". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Lukhan puts family first, changes last name". rugby.com.au. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Player Profiles: Lukhan Tui". Queensland Rugby. 2016. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ "Wests beat Balmain 54-4 in U17s development match". Wests Tigers. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ "Photos". Rugby League Samoa NSW. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ "Randwick Colt Lukhan Tui chats". Randwick Rugby. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ Seiser, Paul (4 July 2015). "Tui, Lukhan runs". SPA Images. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ "Australia name 28-man squad for U20 Championship". ESPN. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
^ "2015 World U20 Championship: Wales U20 23-28 Australia U20". British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ Ryan, Sam (2016). "Intrust Shute Shield graduating class of 2015". Rugby News. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^ Decent, Tom (29 September 2017). "Michael Cheika happy exposing players as Lukhan Tui set to become 24th Wallabies debutant since World Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018.
^ "Wallabies v Springboks: Who starred and who flopped for Australia". Herald Sun. 1 October 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^ "South Africa 27–27 Australia". ESPN. 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^ "Lukhan Salakaia-Loto signs for Northampton Saints". Northampton Saints. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
^ "Fraser Dingwall and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto: Northampton pair suspended for Champions Cup red cards". BBC Sport. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
^ "Player Statistics". its rugby. Retrieved 8 June 2023.

External links

Stats on itsrugby.co.uk

v t e Queensland Reds – current squad
Forwards	Richie Asiata George Blake Angus Blyth Joe Brial John Bryant Josh Canham Max Craig Massimo de Lutiis Sef Fa'agase Matt Faessler Matt Gibbon Alex Hodgman Trevor King Fraser McReight Josh Nasser Zane Nonggorr Lukhan Salakaia-Loto Ryan Smith Jeffery Toomaga-Allen Seru Uru Connor Vest Harry Wilson Liam Wright
Backs	Lachie Anderson Jock Campbell Filipo Daugunu Josh Flook Jude Gibbs Frankie Goldsbrough Mason Gordon Isaac Henry Tom Lynagh Will McCulloch Tate McDermott Harry McLaughlin-Phillips Heremaia Murray Hunter Paisami Dre Pakeho Tim Ryan Kalani Thomas Louis Werchon
Coach	Les Kiss

v t e Australia squad – 2019 Rugby World Cup
Forwards:	Alaalatoa Arnold Coleman Dempsey Fainga'a Hooper (c) Kepu Latu Naisarani Pocock Rodda Salakaia-Loto Simmons Sio Slipper Tupou Uelese
Backs:	Ashley-Cooper Beale Foley Genia Haylett-Petty Hodge Kerevi Koroibete Kuridrani Leali'ifano O'Connor Petaia To'omua White
Head coach: Cheika