 Toeava during a New Zealand training session, November 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 January 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Moto'otua, Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb; 15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | De La Salle College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Elisapeta Toeava (sister) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Isaia "Ice" Toeava (born 15 January 1986) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand.
Toeava was born in Samoa but moved to New Zealand in 1994 to live with his grandmother.[1][2] He attended De La Salle College, Mangere East, he played alongside Taniela Moa in the school's First XV rugby team. He represented New Zealand U-19 where he was named the IRB's Under-19 2005 player of the year. He played at second-five for New Zealand Under 19. Other early career highlights include playing second five for the Championship-winning Auckland Marist Under 21 side, coached by Peter Tubberty. His sister, Peta is an international netball player having debuted for the Silver Ferns in 2018.
Toeava played for the All Blacks and represented New Zealand in Sevens rugby.
In 2005 Toeava was a shock selection for the All Blacks Grand Slam tour at only 19 years of age. He had had no Super 14 experience, and limited Provincial experience with just eight games for Auckland, and only a solitary start at first-five against Northland.
He played his first-class rugby mainly at centre, wing and fullback. He played his provincial rugby for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup and was drafted to the Hurricanes in the 2006 Super 14 season. He played for the Blues for the 2007 season.[3]
He was instrumental in the success of the Blues in the 2007 Super 14 season, scoring four tries and setting up many others from the outside centre position. He was later nominated for Rebel Sport Super 14 Player of the Year at the 2007 Steinlager Rugby Awards.
Toeava played the final two games of the 2011 Tri-Nations tournament. At the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Toeava played in pool matches against Tonga (at left wing), Japan (at fullback) and Canada (coming of the bench in the second half).
In July 2012, Toeava signed a two-year contract with the Tokyo-based Canon Eagles.[4]
In March 2016 Toeava joined Clermont as a medical joker to cover an injury crisis and has held his place at the powerful club. His form helped guide Clermont to the French Top 14 championship and to the lead in their pool of the Champions Cup in January 2017, before an arm injury that required surgery sidelined him for the rest of the season.[5]
On 16 June 2020, Toeava signs for Top 14 rivals Toulon ahead of the 2020–21 season.[6] On 25 November 2021, he signed for another French side Bayonne in the second-tier Pro D2 ahead of the 2021–22 season.[7]