Fainifo, Francis

Francis Fainifo (pron: fay-nee-foe) has continued his rise in Australian rugby after graduating from his rookie status to a two-year contract with the CA Brumbies. The hot-stepping winger made his debut for the CA Brumbies against the Bulls in Week Five and retained his place in the CA Brumbies squad for the remainder of the season, earning eight caps. Fainifo received his first starting cap when he was given the assignment of marking Lote Tuqiri in the CA Brumbies’ 36-10 win over the Waratahs at Canberra Stadium. The 24 year old scored four tries in his two club matches for the Tuggeranong Vikings. He continued his tremendous point scoring form into the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship when he led the competition’s try scoring with six touchdowns, including a hat trick against the Sydney Fleet at Canberra Stadium, before a hamstring injury prematurely ended his season.

Born in Auckland, Fainifo grew up playing rugby league for the Campbelltown City Kangaroos. He was contracted to the National Rugby League’s Western Suburbs (now Wests Tigers) Jersey Flegg side in 2001 before beginning a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of New England and starting his rugby career with Robb College in Armidale’s club rugby competition. Fainifo was recruited to the Brumbies Academy midway through 2005 after he was spotted playing for NSW Country Cockatoos in the Australian Rugby Shield. Following his move to the ACT, ‘Franky’ quickly built a reputation as one of the most damaging broken field runners in Canberra club rugby and was rewarded with inclusion in the CA Brumbies’ 22-man squad to play the Crusaders in Christchurch in 2006. Having signed a rookie contract with the CA Brumbies for 2007, Fainifo completed 2006 on a high as a standout winger in the Australian Provincial Championship for the CA Brumbies which led to his selection, and try-scoring performance, in the Prime Minister’s XV that defeated Japan 61-19 in Tokyo.