Ligi Sao
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Liligiifo Sao[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 October 1992[3] Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 17 st 2 lb (109 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Loose forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As of 18 November 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liligiifo Sao (born 11 October 1992) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop and loose forward for Hull F.C. in the Betfred Super League.
Sao previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.
Background[edit]
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.[7]
Playing career[edit]
Club career[edit]
Early career[edit]
He was then signed by the New Zealand Warriors, playing in the 2012 Toyota Cup for the Junior Warriors.[8]
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles[edit]
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.[6]
New Zealand Warriors[edit]
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.[7]
Hull F.C.[edit]
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.[9] 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.[10][11] Sao played 17 games for Hull F.C. for in the Super League XXVIII season as the club finished 10th on the table.[12] 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.[13]
International career[edit]
In October 2022, Sao was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ "NRL Rd 8 - Storm v Sea Eagles Photos and Images". Getty Images. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Photo Gallery Rd 15 v Wests Tigers". Sea Eagles. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Ligi Sao". Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ "Player Summary: Ligi Sao". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ loverugbyleague
- ^ a b "Ligi Sao - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 11 October 1992. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ a b "PLAYER SIGNING | Sao coming home - Warriors". Warriors.kiwi. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Ligi Sao Joins FC". Betfred Super League. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Wigan Warriors v Hull FC highlights as FC struggle to find play-off form in one-sided defeat". www.hulldailymail.co.uk. 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Super League: Derrell Olpherts stars as ruthless Castleford Tigers stun Hull FC 46-18". Sky Sports. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Super League: Hull FC 18-46 Castleford - Lee Radford's Tigers come from behind to win". BBC Sport. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Hull FC highs and lows as mid-season resurgence not enough to prevent drop-off". www.hulldailymail.co.uk.
- ^ "Hull FC new signing Franklin Pele sent off after horror swinging arm on Elliot Minchella". www.totalrl.com.
- ^ Full list of every squad at the Rugby League World Cup 2021
External links[edit]
- 1992 births
- Living people
- Combined Nationalities rugby league team players
- Hull F.C. players
- New Zealand rugby league players
- New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent
- New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in England
- New Zealand Warriors players
- Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players
- Manurewa Marlins players
- Rugby league players from Auckland
- Rugby league props
- Samoa national rugby league team players
- Samoan rugby league players
- Samoan expatriate rugby league players in Australia
- New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in Australia
- Samoan expatriate rugby league players in England