Ali Lauitiiti Name Ali Lauitiiti Position Second Row Date of Birth 13/07/1979 Place of Birth Auckland, NZ Previous Club New Zealand Warriors Weight  110kg Height  1.88m Honours New Zealand Squad Number 12 Debut  v Salford 28/05/04 Leeds Career : Ali joined the Rhinos in May 2004 from NRL side New Zealand Warriors on a two and a half year contract. When he was released from his contract with the Warriors it sparked a world wide chase for his signature. However, the Rhinos beat competition from 14 other club’s in Australia and England to secure the second row. He made his debut for the Rhinos against Salford and took little time to settle in, scoring his first try in the subsequent game against Bradford Bulls. Since his arrival he has scored nine tries in 19 appearances and his incredible ball handling skills earned him a place in the Tetley’s Super League Dream Team. In 2005 Ali scored 14 tries in 32 appearances including 17 as a replacement. His 14 tries includes an incredible five tries against Wakefield when he came off the bench to become the first forward in the summer era to score five tries. He was part of the World Club Challenge side who picked up honours after defeating Canterbury Bulldogs. He also appeared in the Challenge Cup Final and helped the Rhinos to their second successive Grand Final appearance when he scored the winning try against St Helens with an 80 metre run in the Grand Final Qualifier. In 2006 Ali made 30 appearances and scored 7 tries, one of these another spectacular effort in the 48-22 win against Wigan, which was named as the try of the season. Last season Ali came on as a substitute in the Grand Final and scored the game turning try that put the Rhinos on their way to their second title in three years. He ended the season with a place in the New Zealand All Golds team that took on a Northern Union side in the Centenary International and Ali’s two tries helped the Kiwis to a 25-18 win. Rugby Career : Ali made his senior debut back in April 1998 for the New Zealand Warriors. Just two years later he was named the NRL second row of the year ahead of the likes of Great Britain’s Adrian Morley and a host of Australian test locks. He was selected for the New Zealand test squad for the 2000 Anzac test but missed out on final selection for the match instead making a try scoring debut against the Cook Islands at Reading in the World Cup. He also scored against Wales in the next game at the Millennium Stadium. He has now played 14 times for New Zealand and was part of the Kiwi’s side that toured Great Britain in 2002, featuring in seven out of the eight games on the tour, including all three Tests against the Lions, plus games against St Helens, England A, Wales and France. He also scored in the third Test against Great Britain. Prior to joining the New Zealand Warriors Ali played for Mangere East club in 1996 and shone as a junior in their U19 side in 1997 scoring 17 tries in 19 games. He went onto gain international honours with the Junior Kiwis that year and again in 1998. He was an integral part of the Warriors squad that reached the Grand Final in 2002, the first time in the club’s history, however they were to lose out to Sydney Roosters on that occasion. He has appeared in 115 games for the Warriors and scored 33 tries. He has now played 18 times for New Zealand, with one of the highlights of his international career coming in 2005 when the Kiwis were crowned the Tri Nations Champions. Ali began the tournament in great form, coming on as substitute to score a try against Great Britain, before taking his place in the side who defeated Australia in the final. He ended the 2007 season with a place in the New Zealand All Golds team that took on a Northern Union side in the Centenary International and Ali’s two tries helped the Kiwis to a 25-18 win. Personal Details : Ali’s actual first name is Alaimatagi and he was educated at Otahuhu College where his favourite subject was PE but his least favourite was German. His favourite TV programme is Oprah and his favourite meal to cook is rice and tuna with eggs on top. If pushed to sing a song at karaoke Ali would sing Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice and he would like to be a youth worker after his career is over. His greatest achievement is seeing his kids come into the world and if he could be anyone in the world for a day he would chose to be Willy Wonka so he could taste all the chocolate. To return to the main squad profiles page click here.