Solomone Funaki attended Liahona High School in Tonga, before moving to Auckland in New Zealand, where he played club rugby for Grammar TEC. That same year, he was named in the Auckland Colts squad.
Funaki played for, and captained, the Tonga U20 team at the 2014 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Hong Kong.
In 2017, Funaki was named in the Bay of Plenty Wasps side to play the New Zealand Universities team in an Anzac Day match.
Funaki moved to Hawke's Bay in 2018, where he played club rugby for Maori Agricultural College (MAC) Sports Association.
In 2019, he was named in the Magpies squad as a full squad member, but missed the entire 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season due to suffering two broken wrists.
In 2020, he helped the Magpies win the Ranfurly Shield, and successfully defend the Shield three times and win the Mitre 10 Cup Championship, thus securing a well-deserved promotion to the Premiership division.
Although not named in the initial Highlanders squad for the 2021 Super Rugby season, Funaki joined the squad in May 2021 on an injury replacement contract.
After another successful 2021 Bunnings NPC season with Hawke's Bay that included 6 successful Ranfurly Shield defences, Moana Pasifika announced on 16 October 2021 that the new franchise had signed Funaki for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Funaki made his test debut for Tonga on 3 July 2021 against New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland
On 4 March 2022, Funaki wrote history by scoring Moana Pasifika's first ever try in their inaugural Super Rugby game against the Crusaders.
May 2022, he was again named in the Tongan national team for the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup and the Asia/Pacific qualification match for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
He has recently been included in Tonga's final training squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
S.C June 23
Career
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Dragons RFC Openside Flanker |
2024 - present |
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Northland Openside Flanker |
2019 - 2022 |
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Hawke's Bay Openside Flanker |
2018 - 2023 |
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Moana Pasifika Rugby Openside Flanker |
2021 - 2024 |
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Tonga Openside Flanker |
2021 - 2024 |
