Nepo Eti Laulala (born 6 November 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Toulouse. Born in Samoa, he represents New Zealand at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.
Early life
Laulala was born in Samoa and educated at Auckland's Mount Albert Grammar School and later at Wesley College. After showing impressive form for the Wesley College 1st XV, was enticed to Christchurch to join the Canterbury Academy. Laulala played 1st XV rugby with several future professional sportsmen, including former All Blacks, Malakai Fekitoa, Charles Piutau and Augustine Pulu, as well as his current All Black teammate, Karl Tu'inukuafe.
Laulala's brothers, Casey Laulala and Luteru Laulala have also had careers in professional rugby. Casey is also a former All Black that last played international rugby in 2006. The Laulala brothers are one of 57 sets of brothers to become All Blacks.
Club career
Laulala made his ITM cup debut in 2011 in a Ranfurly Shield defence against North Otago. His performances for his province have seen him named in the Crusaders squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Laulala made his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders in 2013 against the Chiefs. Laulala announced in 2015 that the Chiefs would become his new team in 2016. Laulala returned to Super Rugby in 2017 and started in most games for the Chiefs that year, including a 64-minute performance in the game against the touring British and Irish Lions on 20 June 2017, which the Chiefs lost 34–6.
Laulala fractured his forearm in a 27–21 win against the Blues in round three of the 2018 Super Rugby season. Laulala was expected to be out of professional rugby for 8–12 weeks, but has still not recovered from injury. In the dying stages of the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup, he finally made a return from his broken arm, for Counties Manukau. Although Counties Manukau failed to make the playoffs, Laulala did enough to convince All Black Head Coach, Steve Hansen, to re-select him.
With All Black teammate, Angus Ta'avao, also present in the Chiefs' squad for the 2019 Super Rugby season, Laulala started many matches across the season, although he was benched for their quarter-final, which was a 16–21 loss to the Buenos Aires-based Jaguares. On 22 October 2020, it was confirmed that Laulala would leave the Chiefs to join Auckland based Blues prior to the 2021 Super Rugby season.
International career
Laulala was selected as part of the 41-man wider training squad for the 2015 All Blacks squad. Laulala made his debut for New Zealand in the first test match of the year against Manu Samoa in Apia on 8 July, replacing Owen Franks off the bench in the 57th minute, with the All Blacks going on to win against Manu Samoa by 25–16. He played another 3 tests off the bench for the All Blacks in 2015 but narrowly missed out on selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Laulala had a serious knee injury at the start of the 2016 season, so did not play for the Chiefs, or the All Blacks for the whole of 2016, with All Black teammates Nehe Milner-Skudder, Charlie Ngatai and James Broadhurst, missing the 2016 All Black season too.
Due to a run of injuries, Laulala was not selected for the All Blacks again until the 2017 Rugby Championship. He was a last-minute selection for the second Bledisloe Cup test against Australia (a 35–29 win to New Zealand), after 95-test veteran Owen Franks tore his Achilles tendon the day before the match. Laulala's 61-minute performance was widely acclaimed after winning several opposing scrums for the All Blacks. Laulala became a regular starter for New Zealand in Franks' absence, and started in every remaining test of the year following Franks' injury, making a total of nine test appearances for the All Blacks in 2017.
Laulala failed to make the field for the All Blacks during the 2018 mid-year tests and was not selected due to injury, much like his injured Chiefs teammate Kane Hames. Continued delays in Laulala's recovery also saw him miss the 2018 Rugby Championship, with another one of his Chiefs teammates, Angus Ta'avao, making his debut for the All Blacks while Laulala was out injured.
Laulala was named in the extended 51-man squad for the 2018 end-of-year tour and was subsequently given a spot on the bench for the third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia's Wallabies for 2018, displacing Ofa Tu'ungafasi from the match-day 23. Laulala replaced Owen Franks in the 52nd minute against the Wallabies, completing his comeback to international rugby. The All Blacks beat the Wallabies, 37–20.
