Liligiifo Sao (born 11 October 1992) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a and for Bradford Bulls in the Super League.
Sao previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.
Background Sao was born in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Samoan descent.
He played his junior football for the Manurewa Marlins in the Auckland Rugby League competition.
Playing career Club career Early career He was then signed by the New Zealand Warriors, playing in the 2012 Toyota Cup for the Junior Warriors.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles In 2013, Sao signed with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Sao played in both the 2013 Holden Cup and the 2013 NSW Cup before making his first grade debut on 15 July 2013 against the North Queensland Cowboys.
New Zealand Warriors On 22 July 2015, three days before they were due to play Manly in Auckland, the Warriors announced that they had signed Sao for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Hull F.C. He joined Super League side Hull F.C. for the 2020 season. Sao played 16 games for Hull F.C. in the 2020 Super League season including the club's semi-final defeat against Wigan. Sao played 21 games for Hull F.C. in the 2021 Super League season which saw the club finish 8th on the table and miss the playoffs. In round 20 of the 2022 Super League season, Sao was sent off for a dangerous high tackle in Hull FC's 46-18 loss against Castleford. Sao played 17 games for Hull F.C. for in the Super League XXVIII season as the club finished 10th on the table. In round 1 of the 2024 Super League season, Sao was sent to the sin bin during the clubs 22-0 loss to arch-rivals Hull Kingston Rovers. Sao was limited to just two games for Hull F.C. in the 2025 Super League season as the club finished 7th on the table. On 28 August 2026, it was announced that Sao would leaving Hull F.C. at the end of the 2026 Super League season.
Bradford Bulls On 2 September 2026 it was reported that he had signed for Bradford Bulls in the Super League on a 1-year deal.
International career In October 2022, Sao was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.Full list of every squad at the Rugby League World Cup 2021
Statistics +YearTeamGamesTriesPts2013 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles1201520282016 New Zealand Warriors2201711201852019814202018142021221420222320231814202422142025220267142027Totals158832 source:
References
External links
New Zealand Warriors profile Warriors profile NRL profile Manly Warringah Sea Eagles profile Samoa profile