A'au James Leuluai is a New Zealand former international rugby league centre of Samoan descent. A Mt Wellington junior, in his career Leuluai played for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Wakefield Trinity, Hull FC, Leigh, Ryedale-York and Doncaster. Leuluai also represented the New Zealand national rugby league team and New Zealand Maori. Leuluai first grabbed attention on the representative scene as part of New Zealand Maori’s triumphant 1977 Pacific Cup team. Two years later, the 22-year-old Auckland rep earned a maiden Test call-up, playing all three matches against touring Great Britain at centre and fullback. Between 1979 and 1986 he played in 29 test matches for New Zealand, scoring 14 tries.

James Leuluai had the best sidestep in rugby league, at least until Benji Marshall came along. He would have been a champion in the centres in any era. He was relatively slight but Australia had big centres like (Mal) Meninga and (Gene) Miles at the time and he handled those guys with his stepping and evasion and speed off the mark.

His Hull FC debut was alongside fellow debutant Dane O'Hara and Gary Kemble came on 27 September 1981 against Castleford. He helped to lift the 1982 Challenge Cup, the first time the Challenge Cup had been back at the Boulevard since 1914. Nicknamed "Lullaby", as he so often fell asleep off the field he was anything but sleepy on it, scoring many remarkable tries including what the Yorkshire Post described as "one of the greatest solo tries of all time" in the 1983 Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Castleford, passing four Castleford players and racing around half of the length of the field without a hand ever touching him until he had crossed the line.

In seaaon 1986/87, after failing to agree a new contract with Hull he was transfer listed at £50,000. "Jimmy" subsequently played 6 games on loan to Leigh before returning to the Boulevard for 3 more games and a further 27 in 1987/88. In October 1988 he then signed for Wakefield Trinity. Leuluai played 51 times over 2 seasons, scoring 12 tries.

Such was their subsequent commitment to the British game that Leuluai, and his Hull counterparts Gary Kemble & Dane O'Hara (Fred Ah Kuoi had served 4 years with the Club at this point and so would not be eligible until the following year), saw the Government & Rugby Football League change rules and by laws regarding overseas players in 1986 to take those who had shown such commitment outside of the overseas player quotas.

The wiry speedster became a permanent fixture in the three-quarter line thereafter, while a two-try performance from fullback against Papua New Guinea in 1982 sparked Leuluai’s remarkable streak. He crossed in both Tests of the 1983 series against Australia, including the Kiwis’ famous 19-12 victory in Brisbane (after which he was named New Zealand’s player of the year), and terrorised the 1984 Lions with four tries in a 3-0 cleansweep. Leuluai featured prominently in the unforgettable 1985 series versus Australia, dotting down in both fixtures at Carlaw Park and celebrating in the iconic 18-0 third-Test win, and embarked on a second tour of Britain and France later that year.

In the last 12 months of Leuluai’s Kiwis tenure, which finished in Papua New Guinea in 1986, he started Tests at centre, fullback, wing and five-eighth. James’ longevity to go over to England and come back to New Zealand and play back-to-back seasons for a number of years, and that ability to play consistently for 12 months of the year was just amazing.

In 1990/91 he moved to Ryedale-York, playing aeven matches and scoring 2 tries before ending his UK career at Doncaster the same year with 13 games and one try. His last match on UK soil was a Doncaster home game to Leigh on 14 April 1991, played in front of just 1,557, a rather sad end to a great Rugby League career. After he had finished his English career, Leuluai returned to New Zealand and started playing for Wellington. He helped them defeat Auckland for the first time in 75 years. It was during this time in Wellington that Leuluai began his coaching career.

A key figure during the Kiwis’ halcyon 1980s era, the ultra-versatile A’au James Leuluai played Tests in four different backline positions – but it is as brilliant, elusive centre that he is chiefly remembered. A breath-taking sidestep and blinding acceleration garnered 14 tries (one short of the Kiwis record at the time) in 29 Tests – including an incredible run of 11 touchdowns in 10 internationals from 1982-85 – and the apt nickname, ‘The Finisher.'

Leuluai was the coach of the Wellington City Dukes in the 1994 Lion Red Cup. During the early seasons of the Bartercard Cup, Leuluai was the coach of the Eastern Tornadoes. He later took on the role of the Junior Kiwis in 2002. Between 2003 and 2005 Leuluai was one of Daniel Andersons two assistant coaches with the New Zealand national rugby league team. In 2011 Leuluai co-coached the Mangere East Hawks in the Auckland Rugby League competition.

James Lealuai was inducted into the New Zealand Legends of League. In 2015 he was inducted into the Black and Whites’ Hull FC Hall of Fame. He is the father of professional rugby league players Thomas and Macgraff Leuluai and the uncle of former Leeds Rhinos prop, Kylie Leuluai. The 68 year old New Zealand rugby league legend is suffering with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.