15 years in the service of Stade Rochelais. A career that almost never took off. An arrival in the greatest of secrecy. A frame like no other. But above all, an indelible smile, huge sensitivity and an even bigger heart, and undeniable talent.
Uini Atonio has left his mark on Pro D2, the Top 14 and far beyond. He will also have left unforgettable memories in the minds of those who spent time alongside him.
Having landed at La Rochelle in 2011 – after catching the eye of a certain Patrice Collazo -, the man born in Timaru, New Zealand, worked his way up. Captain of the side at just 23, with more than 300 appearances in the same shirt in the Top 14, he experienced everything with the Maritimes. Pro D2, the Top 14, the two European titles…
With France, Atonio has hardly been left wanting either. The colossus won a Grand Slam (2022) and a title in the 2025 Championship. A look back, in pictures (a non-exhaustive list), at the immense career of a giant with a big heart.
2013-2014: promotion to the Top 14
Two years after arriving in La Rochelle, Uini Atonio, by then indispensable in the Maritimes pack, played a big part in his team’s promotion to the Top 14. The start of a long and fine story.
8 November 2014: a dream first cap for France
Newly eligible for selection, Uini Atonio tasted his first cap on 8 November 2014 in a test match against Fiji.
2014-2015: A first education in the Top 14
Like most of his team-mates, Uini Atonio discovered the Top 14 in the 2014-2015 season. His performances were as good as ever.
2015 – A first Six Nations
Now established in the France squad, Uini Atonio played his first Six Nations with France.
2015 – A first World Cup
Capped by Samoa’s youth teams and New Zealand-born, Uini Atonio nevertheless played his first World Cup with France. The adventure ended in the quarter-finals.
2016-2017 – On the doorstep of a historic final
Starting at lock, Uini Atonio played a Top 14 semi-final with Stade Rochelais against Toulon in the 2016-2017 season. The Maritimes went down 18-15 after an Anthony Belleau drop goal at the death.
2021 – Two finals, two falls
Covid aside, 2021 will stay in every La Rochelle memory. After a magnificent season on both fronts, Atonio and La Rochelle lost the Top 14 final to Toulouse before also being beaten by those same Toulousains in the European Cup final. Cruel.
2022: The apotheosis
A cornerstone of the French pack, Uini Atonio played a major role in France’s Six Nations title. A magnificent Grand Slam that launched them perfectly towards the World Cup a year later.
2022 – Atonio and La Rochelle in the history books forever
28 May 2022, Vélodrome in Marseille. La Rochelle won the arm-wrestle imposed by the Leinster ogre and claimed the first European title in their history. Atonio, meanwhile, went on impressing out on the pitch.
2023 – La Rochelle and Atonio write another page of history
A year after the first European title, Stade Rochelais doubled up against… Leinster, in Dublin what’s more. Incredible.
2023 – A dream shattered
On home soil, Uini Atonio and France were beaten in the World Cup quarter-finals by the Springboks. One of the greatest traumas in French rugby.
18 January 2026: a last match with a bitter taste
Without knowing it on 18 January, Uini Atonio played his last match in La Rochelle colours, in front of his home crowd at Deflandre. He saw his side knocked out of the Champions Cup after a defeat to Harlequins.
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