| Chanel Harris-Tavita | |
| Fullname: | Chanel Harris-Tavita |
| Birth Date: | 3 April 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Height: | 183cm (72inches) |
| Weight: | 89kg (196lb) |
| Year1start: | 2019 |
| Year1end: | present |
| Appearances1: | 70 |
| Tries1: | 11 |
| Goals1: | 63 |
| Fieldgoals1: | 1 |
| Points1: | 171 |
| Points2: | 0 |
| Teama: | Samoa |
| Yearastart: | 2019 |
| Yearaend: | present |
| Appearancesa: | 7 |
| Triesa: | 4 |
| Goalsa: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsa: | 0 |
| Pointsa: | 16 |
| Yearbstart: | 2022 |
| Appearancesb: | 1 |
| Triesb: | 0 |
| Goalsb: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsb: | 0 |
| Pointsb: | 0 |
| New: | yes |
| Source: | [1] |
| Updated: | 16 August 2024 |
Chanel Harris-Tavita (born 3 April 1999) is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a or and currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Harris-Tavita was born in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Samoan descent. His grandfather Ray Harris represented New Zealand Maori and Auckland.[2] [3]
A clever ball player, he was named the New Zealand Warriors 2017 NYC player of the year.[4]
Harris-Tavita made his NYC debut on his 17th birthday in 2016 and, after two seasons in the under-20 grade, was moved up to develop his game in the Intrust Super Premiership in 2018.[4]
In round 4 of the 2019 NRL season, Harris-Tavita made his NRL debut against the Gold Coast Titans. He was viewed as Shaun Johnson long term replacement, who signed with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in late 2018.[5]
He made 13 appearances for the New Zealand Warriors in both of the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the club missed out on the finals.[6]
In round 9 of the 2021 NRL season, he scored two tries in a 38-32 loss against Manly-Warringah. He made a total of 11 appearances for the club which saw New Zealand once again miss out on the finals.[7]
Following New Zealand's record 70-10 loss to Melbourne in round 8 of the 2022 NRL season, it was revealed that Harris-Tavita suffered a ruptured testicle during the game which required surgery. Harris-Tavita was then ruled out from playing indefinitely.[8] In May 2022, Harris-Tavita announced he was taking a hiatus from rugby league at the end of the season. Harris-Tavita cited that he had lost the passion for playing the game and was going to spend his time traveling and writing.[9] [10]
In October Harris-Tavita was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[11] Harris-Tavita played for Samoa in their Rugby League World Cup final loss to Australia. During the second half, Harris-Tavita was knocked out after being hit in the head by Australia's Angus Crichton. Harris-Tavita played no further part in the match.[12]
After the World Cup the previous year, Harris-Tavita travelled Europe as part of his hiatus from rugby league. In May 2023, it was announced Harris-Tavita would return to the New Zealand Warriors, signing a two-year deal from 2024.[13]