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Muliaina Bio
Mils Muliaina is a former All Black who has won almost every trophy in the game. Widely regarded as one of the greatest fullbacks ever, he won the Rugby World Cup, Super Rugby, the Tri Nations (now The Rugby Championship) and the ITM Cup (now known as the Bunnings NPC). Mila Muliaina was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born in Samoa on 31 July 1980, Mils Muliaina moved to New Zealand with his family at the age of three. Here, he fell in love with the game and excelled at the school level. As a result, he represented New Zealand at Secondary Schools, U19 and U21 level. On top of this, in the early days of his career, he also represented New Zealand at Rugby Sevens and won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games with the side in 2002.
Thanks to his successes in representative rugby, Mils Muliaina joined the Blues in 2001. He then won the competition with the side in 2003. Throughout his glittering domestic career, Mils Muliaina represented some of the world’s top sides. In New Zealand, he played for Auckland, Waikato, the Blues and the Chiefs. Meanwhile, in Europe, he represented Connacht and Zebre. On top of this, he also enjoyed a short stint in Japan and ultimately retired while playing for the San Francisco Rush in America in 2016.
Although he enjoyed a highly distinguished domestic career, Mils Muliaina is undoubtedly best known for his appearances on the international stage. Between 2003 and 2011, he was capped 100 times by the All Blacks and won a number of the game’s top prizes. He won the Tri Nations six times, achieved the Grand Slam three times and won a series against the British and Irish Lions. He also finished his international career on a high, capturing the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
Since retiring from rugby, Mils Muliaina has studied to be a chiropractor. He’s also stayed connected to the game and has worked as a television pundit.
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