Provincial Rugby Born in
Kawakawa,
New Zealand, Veainu went to
St Andrew's College in
Christchurch where in his final year of school he was made captain of the 1st XV. He was a regular in Canterbury age group sides over the years, making the under 16's, 18's and 19's whilst still at school. Veainu was a star on the wing for the NZ U-20s at the World Cup in Argentina where he scored five tries (including three in the final). Selected to the
Canterbury squad for the
2010 ITM Cup, Veainu made his debut off the bench against
Hawke's Bay and subsequently started in every match, scoring eight tries as
Canterbury won the championship. Playing with Canterbury again for the
2011 ITM Cup, Veainu scored a further 5 tries in 11 games, in the process helping Canterbury win their fourth consecutive title. For the
2013 ITM Cup, Veainu moved north to join
Hawke's Bay and scored 7 tries in 11 matches for the Magpies. Following his move to Australia to join the
Melbourne Rebels, Veainu turned out for the
Melbourne Rising in 2014, scoring 8 tries from just 6 starts.
Super Rugby After a solid
ITM Cup season in 2010, Veainu received a contract to play for the
Highlanders for the
2011 Super Rugby season. He made his debut in the Highlanders win over the
Bulls in week 3 of the competition. He was again named in the Highlanders squad for
2012, but did not appear in any matches. For the
2013 Super Rugby season Veainu returned to his home province to sign with the
Crusaders, but again struggled to duplicate his ITM Cup form, appearing in only 4 games as a substitute. His season, however, was highlighted by his first Super Rugby try against the Highlanders, his former squad, on 29 June. On 17 September 2013, Veainu signed with the
Melbourne Rebels for the
2014 and 2015 seasons. In May 2014, playing on the wing, he scored a runaway try for the Rebels in their loss to the Waratahs at home in Melbourne.
Super Rugby statistics Leicester Tigers It was confirmed on 28 October 2015 that Veainu has joined
English Premiership team
Leicester Tigers. He made his debut at
Welford Road against
Wasps on 1 November scoring a try as Leicester won 24–16. Veainu quickly became a fan favourite and signed a contract extension on 11 January 2016. He won both newcomer of the year and player of the year in his first season in Leicester. Veainu was awarded try of the week in Week 16 for his try against
Saracens. His form in 2017/18 saw Veainu named as the
Rugby Players' Association Players' Player of the year. He left ahead of the 2020–21 season.
Stade Français He joined
Stade Français ahead of the 2020–21 season.
Sale Sharks On 30 May 2023, Veainu returns to England to join Premiership rivals
Sale Sharks for the 2023-24 season.
Doncaster Knights On 9 September 2024, Veainu signs for
Doncaster Knights in the second-tier
RFU Championship season for the 2024-25 season. ==International career==