Asaeli Ai Valu

Asaeli Ai Valu (ヴァル アサエリ愛, Baru Asaeri Ai; born 7 May 1989) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Japan Rugby League One club Saitama Wild Knights. Born in Tonga, he represents Japan at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.^[1][2][3]

Asaeli Ai Valu

Ai Valu representing the Sunwolves during Super Rugby
Date of birth	(1989-05-07) 7 May 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Tofoa, Tonga
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	115 kg (254 lb; 18 st 2 lb)
School	Shochi Fukaya High School
University	Saitama Institute of Technology
Notable relative(s)	Fakahau Valu (father)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop Current team Saitama Wild Knights Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2014– Saitama Wild Knights 88 (65) 2018–2019 Sunwolves 6 (0) Correct as of 28 August 2023 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2017– Japan 30 (10) Correct as of 28 August 2023

International career

After 4 Top League seasons for Panasonic Wild Knights Ai Valu received his first call-up to his adopted country, Japan's senior squad ahead of the 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals.^[4]

Personal life

Valu received Japanese Citizenship in 2017. He is the son of former rugby union player Fakahau Valu, who represented Tonga at the 1987 Rugby World Cup.^[5]

In Valu's university times, during the rugby off-season, he worked part-time at a farm-house and appeared at the Nippon Television variety show The! Tetsuwan! DASH!!.^[6]

Upon acquiring Japanese citizenship, he added the first kanji of his wife's name (Ai (愛)) to his Japanese name. His wife's great-uncle is the comedian Kinichi Hagimoto. Although Valu himself has not met Hagimoto, he has been received with a phone call.^[7]