Uale Mai Vala (born 20 July 1978) is a retired rugby union player who played for the country's national teams, Manu Samoa and Samoa Sevens. He is a former captain of the Samoa Sevens team which represent Samoa internationally in the IRB Sevens World Series. He was at the time of his retirement sevens rugby's most capped player (a record since surpassed by New Zealand's DJ Forbes), and Mai is considered one of the greats in the international sport. Mai has been one of the top points scorers in the IRB World Sevens Series.

Mai is from Vailoa village in Palauli district on the island of Savai'i. Mai was the first Samoan to be awarded the IRB International Sevens Player of the Year, which he received for the 2005–06 World Sevens Series. The ceremony took place in Glasgow on 26 November 2006.

Uale Mai

Mai was awarded Player of the Tournament at the 2007 Hong Kong Sevens. In 2008, he was awarded the Samoan Senior Player of the Year and also received a nomination for the IRB International Sevens Player of the Year. In 2009, Mai took a short break from the Samoa Sevens team but returned in 2010 under new coach Stephen Betham.

Uale Mai

In fifteens, he is comfortable at flyhalf and scrumhalf, where he represents Samoa in the Samoa national rugby union team. In 2010, he joined CR El Salvador in Spain's Division de Honor. " I also do this for my son Sene Nuulua now educated at NUS"

Uale Mai

Mai was awarded the Head of State's Service Medal in the 2014 Samoa Honours and Awards.

References

External links

ESPN Scrum Profile

Living people

World Rugby Awards winners

Rugby union fly-halves

Samoan rugby union players

1978 births

Male rugby sevens players

People from Palauli

Samoa international rugby union players

Samoan expatriate rugby union players

Expatriate rugby union players in Spain

Samoan expatriate sportspeople in Spain

Samoa international rugby sevens players

Recipients of the Head of State's Service Medal