Vaea Naufahu Anitoni (born 20 September 1970) is an American former rugby union player who played wing. Anitoni is the all-time leading try scorer for the U.S. national team. Anitoni played for the United States national team from 1992 to 2000. During that period, Anitoni played in 46 matches, starting 44, and scored 26 tries, a record which still stands today.
International career Anitoni made his debut 13 June 1992 against Canada, and scored his first try in his next match for the US on 21 May 1994 against Canada. Anitoni's peak years for the national team were from 1996–1998, when he scored 22 tries in 28 matches. Anitoni twice scored 4 tries in a single match – once against Japan in July 1996 and again against Portugal in April 1998. Anitoni played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, where he started 3 matches, and was regarded as a game breaker and a key player for the US national team.
Anitoni also played sevens for the U.S. national sevens team. During the mid to late 1990s Anitoni was regarded as one of the most consistent players for the U.S., due to his ability as a creator with speed. Anitoni was a member of the preliminary squad for the United States during the 2000 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Club rugby Anitoni played for the Pomona rugby club, San Francisco's Olympic Club, and the San Mateo club which claimed the national sevens championship in 1997.
International tries Try Opposing team Venue Competition Date Result Score 1 George Allen Field, Long Beach Test match Lost 10–15 2 George Allen Field, Long Beach 1995 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Lost 22–28 3 Lansdowne Road, Dublin Test match Lost 15–26 4 Boxer Stadium, San Francisco 1996 Pacific Rim Championship Won 19–12 5 Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver 1996 Pacific Rim Championship Lost 20–24 6 Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo 1996 Pacific Rim Championship Lost 18–24 7 8 Boxer Stadium, San Francisco 1996 Pacific Rim Championship Won 42–23 9 10 Boxer Stadium, San Francisco 1996 Pacific Rim Championship Won 74–5 11 12 13 14 Fletcher's Fields, Markham 1996 Pan-American Championship Won 27–13 15 Boxer Stadium, San Francisco 1997 Pacific Rim Championship Won 51–29 16 Wilimington Test match Lost 20–30 17 Boxer Stadium, San Francisco Test match Lost 23–28 18 Estádio Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon Test match Won 61–5 19 20 21 22 El Puerto de Santa María Test match Won 49–3 23 24 Aberdeen Stadium, Hong Kong 1998 Pacific Rim Championship Lost 25–43 25 Cricket and Rugby Club, Buenos Aires 1999 Rugby World Cup Qualifier Lost 24–52 26 Stanley Park, Toronto 1999 Pacific Rim Championship Won 18–17
Honors Individual US Rugby Hall of Fame US all time leading try scorer
References