View source for Mils Muliaina

{{Short description|New Zealand international rugby union player}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2009}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name              = Mils Muliaina
| image             = Mils Muliaina 2016.jpg
| caption           = Muliaina in 2016
| birth_name        = Junior Malili Muliaina
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1980|7|31}}
| birth_place       = Salelesi, [[Samoa]]
| height            = 183&nbsp;cm<ref name="stats.allblacks.com">{{cite web|url=http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=1032 |title=Stats &#124; allblacks.com |publisher=Stats.allblacks.com |date= |accessdate=2022-04-30}}</ref>
| weight            = {{convert|93|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="stats.allblacks.com">{{cite web|url=http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=1032 |title=Stats &#124; allblacks.com |publisher=Stats.allblacks.com |date= |accessdate=2022-04-30}}</ref>
| school            = [[Cargill High School]]<br/>[[Southland Boys' High School]]<br/>[[Kelston Boys' High School]]
| position          = [[Fullback (rugby union)|Fullback]], [[Wing (rugby union)|Wing]]
| ru_currentteam    = 
| repyears1         = 2000
| repyears2         = 2000–2001
| repyears3         = 2003–2011
| repteam1          = [[Junior All Blacks|New Zealand A]]
| repteam2          = [[New Zealand national under-21 rugby union team|New Zealand Colts]]
| repteam3          = [[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]]
| repcaps1          = 2
| repcaps2          = 5
| repcaps3          = 100
| reppoints1        = 5
| reppoints2        = 15
| reppoints3        = 165
| ru_ntupdate       = 9 October 2011
| repsevenscomp1    = 11
| repsevensyears1   = 1999–2002
| repsevensteam1    = [[New Zealand national rugby sevens team|New Zealand]]
| years1            = 1999–2005
| years2            = 2001–2005
| years3            = 2006–2011
| years4            = 2006–2010
| years5            = 2011–2013
| years6            = 2014
| years7            = 2014–2015
| years8            = 2015
| years9            = 2016
| clubs1            = [[Auckland Rugby Union|Auckland]]
| clubs2            = [[Blues (Super Rugby)|Blues]]
| clubs3            = [[Chiefs (rugby union)|Chiefs]]
| clubs4            = [[Waikato Rugby Union|Waikato]]
| clubs5            = [[NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes|NTT DoCoMo]]
| clubs6            = [[Chiefs (rugby union)|Chiefs]]
| clubs7            = [[Connacht Rugby|Connacht]]
| clubs8            = [[Zebre]]
| clubs9            = [[San Francisco Rush (rugby union)|San Francisco Rush]]
| points1           = 65
| points2           = 82
| points3           = 65
| points4           = 10
| points5           = 20
| points6           = 5
| points7           = 0
| points8           = 5
| points9           = 10
| apps1             = 42
| apps2             = 49
| apps3             = 55
| apps4             = 7
| apps5             = 19
| apps6             = 6
| apps7             = 11
| apps8             = 10
| apps9             = 5
| ru_clubupdate     = 18 February 2016
| province1         = 
| provinceyears1    = 
| provinceapps1     = 
| provincepoints1   = 
| ru_provinceupdate = 
| superyears1       = 
| super1            = 
| superapps1        = 
| superpoints1      = 
| super14update     = 
| medals            = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[rugby sevens]]}}
{{MedalCountry| {{NZL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | [[Rugby sevens at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Team competition]] }} 
}}

'''Junior Malili '''"'''Mils'''"''' Muliaina''' (born 31 July 1980) is a former professional [[rugby union]] player who most recently played for [[San Francisco Rush (rugby union)|San Francisco Rush]] in the US [[PRO Rugby]] competition.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/25/all-blacks-mils-muliaina-us-pro-rugby |title=All Blacks great Mils Muliaina to play in US professional league |first=Martin |last=Pengelly |date=25 March 2016 |access-date=8 August 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> He played primarily as a [[Fullback (rugby union)|fullback]], though he has also played as a [[Centre (rugby union)|centre]] and on the [[Wing (rugby union)|wing]].

Born in Salelesi, [[Samoa]], Muliaina moved with his family to [[Invercargill]], New Zealand, at the age of three. At international level Muliaina played for {{nrut|New Zealand}} from 2003 until his retirement after the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]]. Muliaina became only the second All Black to reach 100 caps during the World Cup quarter-final against {{nrut|Argentina}} in 2011. He scored 33 [[Try (rugby)|tries]] for New Zealand and remains among the top 40 [[List of leading rugby union test try scorers|highest try scorers in rugby union]].

==Early career==
He first attended [[Cargill High School]] then [[Southland Boys' High School]], where he proved proficient enough at rugby to be offered a scholarship to [[Kelston Boys' High School]] in [[Auckland]], in 1998. Subsequently, Muliaina played for the NZ Secondary Schools XV, the team winning that year's world championship. He repeated this the following year with the Under 19 side, and in 2000 and 2001 was part of the world champion Under 21 (NZ Colt) teams of those years.{{citation needed | date = February 2012}}

==Super Rugby and the All Blacks==
Muliaina joined the [[Blues (Super Rugby)|Auckland Blues]] in 2001 and was a part of the [[Super 12]] title-winning team for the Blues in 2003. Muliaina's test debut for the [[All Blacks]] was against England on 14 June 2003 at the [[Westpac Stadium]] in [[Wellington]]. He was subsequently part of the All Black squad at the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]].{{citation needed | date = August 2022}} In 2004, he was the only player to be selected for every test played by the All Blacks. Muliaina has also played in 11 tournaments for the [[New Zealand national rugby sevens team|sevens]] team, including winning a [[Commonwealth Games]] gold medal in 2002 in [[Manchester]]. Though he has expressed a preference for playing as an [[outside centre]], Muliaina generally plays at [[Fullback (rugby union)|fullback]]. In 2006 he joined the [[Chiefs (rugby union)|Chiefs]], with whom he brought up his 100th [[Super Rugby]] cap in 2011.{{citation needed | date = August 2022}}

On 9 October 2011 during the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]], Muliaina played his 100th game for the All Blacks after starting at [[fullback (rugby union)|fullback]] against Argentina. During the game, Muliaina was forced from the field at half-time, having injured his shoulder. This was later revealed to have been fractured, meaning he was dropped from the New Zealand World Cup squad. Muliaina retired from the All Blacks squad the following day on 10 October 2011 after achieving his 100th Test cap and returned on 23 October 2011 to claim his gold medal after the All Blacks won the [[2011 Rugby World Cup final]].{{citation needed | date = August 2022}}

==Europe==
As of 4 May 2014, Mils had signed a one-year contract for Irish provincial region [[Connacht Rugby|Connacht]] in the [[Pro14|Pro12]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/15183/9298140/rabodirect-pro12-connacht-sign-new-zealand-great-muliaina |publisher=Sky Sports |title=Connacht sign All Black great Mils Muliaina |date=5 May 2014}}</ref> On 21 November 2014, Muliaina made his Connacht debut in a 43–3 win over Italian side Zebre at the Sportgrounds.

In July 2015, Muliaina was charged with sexual assault following an incident with a woman in a Cardiff night club.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/former-all-black-mils-muliaina-denies-sexual-assault-charge/URXY6LXHIVWF2LTMLUVO5TXS4Q/ |publisher=New Zealand Herald |title=Former All Black Mils Muliaina denies sexual assault charge |date=3 July 2016}}</ref> The charge was dropped in October 2015 on evidential grounds.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/former-all-black-mils-muliainas-relief-and-anger-after-sex-assault-charge-dropped/PFNSMJ7XO442KYMXPVN6UOR7CI/|publisher=New Zealand Herald|title=All Black Mils Muliainas relief and anger after sex assault charge dropped|date=20 October 2015}}</ref>

==United States==
It was announced in March 2016 that Muliaina would play the upcoming season in the United States in the newly formed [[PRO Rugby]] competition. He joined the [[San Francisco Rush (rugby union)|San Francisco Rush]] midway through the inaugural 2016 season.{{citation needed | date = August 2022}}

==Achievements==
* [[Rugby World Cup Sevens]] Champion ([[2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens squads|2001]])
* Under 21 Rugby World Champion (2000 & 2001)<ref name="espnscrum.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.espnscrum.com/newzealand/rugby/player/14235.html |title=Junior Malili Muliaina |website=ESPNscrum |access-date=8 August 2016}}</ref>
* Commonwealth Games Gold Medal, Sevens Rugby (2002)<ref name="espnscrum.com" />
* IRB Sevens World Series Champion (1999, 2000 & 2001)
* [[ITM Cup]] (also known as the [[National Provincial Championship (1976–2005)|National Provincial Championship]], NPC) Champion (Auckland: 1999, 2002, 2005; Waikato: 2006)
* [[Super Rugby]] Champion ([[2003 Super 12 season|2003]] with {{Rut|Blues}})
* NZ Super Rugby Player of the Year (2009)<ref>{{cite web| url = http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-news/2009-steinlager-rugby-awards-winners-3313635| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091222062347/http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-news/2009-steinlager-rugby-awards-winners-3313635| archive-date = 2009-12-22| title = Rugby: 2009 Steinlager Rugby Awards winners full list {{!}} RUGBY News}}</ref>
* 106 Super Rugby caps (Blues and Chiefs)
* [[Tri Nations (rugby union)|Tri-Nations]] Champion ([[2003 Tri Nations Series|2003]], [[2005 Tri Nations Series|2005]], [[2006 Tri Nations Series|2006]], [[2007 Tri Nations Series|2007]], [[2008 Tri Nations Series|2008]] & [[2010 Tri Nations Series|2010]])
* [[British & Irish Lions]] series victory ([[2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand|2005]])
* [[Grand Slam (rugby union)|Grand Slam]] ([[2005 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland|2005]], [[2008 New Zealand rugby union tour|2008]] & 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rugbydump.com/2010/11/1732/all-blacks-pushed-by-wales-but-end-with-another-grand-slam |title=All Blacks pushed by Wales but end with another Grand Slam |access-date=8 August 2016}}</ref>)
* [[IRB Player of the Year]] Nominee (2010)
* [[Rugby World Cup]] Champion ([[2011 Rugby World Cup squads|2011]])
* 100 All Black Test caps (3 as captain)<ref name="espnscrum.com" />

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{All Blacks|new_id=Mils-Muliaina-AB-1033|old_id=1032}}
* {{World Rugby Sevens Series player}}
* {{EPCR profile}}
* {{ESPNscrum profile}}
* {{ItsRugby profile}}
* {{CGF profile}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Squads
| list1 = 
{{New Zealand Squad 2002 Commonwealth Games}}
{{New Zealand Squad 2003 Rugby World Cup}}
{{New Zealand Squad 2007 Rugby World Cup}}
{{New Zealand Squad 2011 Rugby World Cup}}
}}
{{2002 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muliaina, Mils}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Auckland rugby union players]]
[[Category:Blues (Super Rugby) players]]
[[Category:Chiefs (Super Rugby) players]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in rugby sevens]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Connacht Rugby players]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Ireland]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Japan]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in the United States]]
[[Category:New Zealand international rugby sevens players]]
[[Category:New Zealand international rugby union players]]
[[Category:New Zealand male rugby sevens players]]
[[Category:New Zealand rugby union players]]
[[Category:Red Hurricanes Osaka players]]
[[Category:People educated at Aurora College (Invercargill)]]
[[Category:People educated at Kelston Boys' High School]]
[[Category:People educated at Southland Boys' High School]]
[[Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Rugby union centres]]
[[Category:Rugby union fullbacks]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Invercargill]]
[[Category:Rugby union wings]]
[[Category:Samoan emigrants to New Zealand]]
[[Category:San Francisco Rush players]]
[[Category:Waikato rugby union players]]
[[Category:Zebre Parma players]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:2003 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:2007 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:2011 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Italy]]
[[Category:21st-century New Zealand sportsmen]]
[[Category:New Zealand rugby union commentators]]