He started his professional career at
Newcastle Falcons. In the summer of 2005, he joined
Sale Sharks on a two-year contract. However, his contract was cancelled when he was banned for 18 weeks for biting
Denis Leamy in a
Heineken Cup game against
Munster. In the
2005–2006 season, Taione made 5 appearances before his contract was terminated, and
Sale Sharks won their first ever
Premiership title. the sponsorship deal financed the Tongan preparation for the World Cup. The Tongans nearly beat the eventual winner, South Africa, and lost narrowly to the other finalist, England. He then went to play for the , but in the
2008 Super 14 season he was suspended for six weeks after headbutting a
Wellington Hurricanes player, and was also suspended for two weeks in the
IRB Pacific 5 Nations after dangerously tackling
New Zealand Maori Number Eight,
Thomas Waldrom. His next move was to
Harlequins, but he received little playing time and so moved on to the
French side
Racing Métro 92 in 2009. In 2010, he joined
London Welsh. He played for
Tonga at the
1999 and
2007 Rugby World Cups. He also played for the
Pacific Islanders. Taione was forced to retire in December 2011 due to a serious knee injury. In 2009, Taione had a small non-speaking role as a member of the New Zealand Rugby team in the film
Invictus. He is a founder member of APBs aka The Brothers, an invitational club that is instrumental in developing the game in the Asia and Pacific regions. He is involved in a few business ventures around the world including clubs and bars in London. He's a board member of the
Tongan Rugby Union. == References ==