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Princeton University Athletics
Tai Tuisamoa Joins Women's Rugby as Assistant Coach
September 10, 2026 | Women's Rugby
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton women's rugby team welcomes Tai Tuisamoa as its newest assistant coach for 2026-27, the team announced Thursday.
"Tai brings with him a wealth of experience with skill and character development," said Head Coach Karameli Fa'ae'e. "He is a joy to be around, and the impact he is going to have on our athletes and beyond will be tremendous for the program."
An accomplished player himself, Tuisamoa had six international caps with the USA Eagles between 2013 and 2015, also playing professionally at London Scottish (2014-15) and OMBAC San Diego (2009-12, 2016-21, 2025) as recently as last year. In 2016, he was also a member of the inaugural San Diego Breakers team.
This past year, he served as a coach on staff of the San Diego Surfers. He also has coaching experience at Patrick Henry High School.
At the youth level, Tuisamoa serves as the president and coach of Try Time Youth Rugby, a San Diego-based non-profit organization that provides rugby opportunities for low income families.
"The biggest thing about coaching for me is being able to serve," said Tuisamoa. "I believe God has given me a purpose to help young people through the game of rugby. Rugby has given me so much throughout my life and taught me respect, discipline, hard work, teamwork, and how important it is to be there for the people around you. My coaching philosophy has always been 'person first, player second.'"
"Connection is a big part of that for me because I don't believe you can truly serve someone without first connecting with them," added Tuisamoa. "When you build real connections with your players, you build trust. From trust comes confidence, belief and ultimately a stronger team. That's one of the things that excites me most about joining Princeton Women's Rugby. I want to help our players believe in themselves and help us continue building a program based on connection, trust, and confidence."
"For me, it's bigger than just rugby. I want to have a positive impact on these young women and help them grow both as players and as people. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be at Princeton and excited to get to work."
"Tai brings with him a wealth of experience with skill and character development," said Head Coach Karameli Fa'ae'e. "He is a joy to be around, and the impact he is going to have on our athletes and beyond will be tremendous for the program."
An accomplished player himself, Tuisamoa had six international caps with the USA Eagles between 2013 and 2015, also playing professionally at London Scottish (2014-15) and OMBAC San Diego (2009-12, 2016-21, 2025) as recently as last year. In 2016, he was also a member of the inaugural San Diego Breakers team.
This past year, he served as a coach on staff of the San Diego Surfers. He also has coaching experience at Patrick Henry High School.
At the youth level, Tuisamoa serves as the president and coach of Try Time Youth Rugby, a San Diego-based non-profit organization that provides rugby opportunities for low income families.
"The biggest thing about coaching for me is being able to serve," said Tuisamoa. "I believe God has given me a purpose to help young people through the game of rugby. Rugby has given me so much throughout my life and taught me respect, discipline, hard work, teamwork, and how important it is to be there for the people around you. My coaching philosophy has always been 'person first, player second.'"
"Connection is a big part of that for me because I don't believe you can truly serve someone without first connecting with them," added Tuisamoa. "When you build real connections with your players, you build trust. From trust comes confidence, belief and ultimately a stronger team. That's one of the things that excites me most about joining Princeton Women's Rugby. I want to help our players believe in themselves and help us continue building a program based on connection, trust, and confidence."
"For me, it's bigger than just rugby. I want to have a positive impact on these young women and help them grow both as players and as people. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be at Princeton and excited to get to work."
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Thursday, October 08
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