Elvis Seveali'i was like a breath of fresh air for the London Irish squad when he joined the club in September 2008.

The Samoan international plays with a broad smile on his face and that, coupled with his entertaining playing style, has established the centre as a firm favourite with Exiles' fans.

Elvis, who is of course named him after Mr. Presley, grew up in Wellington in New Zealand's North Island where basketball and volleyball were his sports. He only started playing rugby at the age of 18, which is most unusual by New Zealand standards.

His obvious talent was spotted and he quickly found himself playing for Wellington Under 19s before progressing to the Under 21s. The step-up to the Wellington team that played in the National Provincial Championship inevitably followed as his reputation as a gifted midfielder grew.

The Samoan selectors came calling and he made his international debut against Fiji in 2000. He has since been awarded 15 caps and scored nine international tries.

In 2002 at the age of 24 he decided to move to the northern hemisphere where he played for Bath in the 2002/03 season before joining the Ospreys for two seasons. In 2005 he returned to England and played a key role in the Sale Sharks team that won the Guinness Premiership in 2005/06.

He has played 54 times for London Irish, scoring 10 tries.