The Terminator of Rugby? Apollo Perelini explains his fierce nickname
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 27.05.25. | 15:12
Apollo was a lethal flanker for Samoa, and he built a fearsome reputation for his bone-crunching tackles
United Arab Emirates (UAE) head coach Apollo Perelini is now a soft, old man (his words). But decades ago, Perelini was anything but gentle on the rugby pitch.
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He was a lethal flanker for Samoa and built a fearsome reputation for his bone-crunching tackles.
The main highlight of his ferocious career came during the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Samoa played Wales, and Perelini bruised three Welsh forwards who ended the match in a hospital. Well, with rugby, that’s perfectly legal.
That earned him his nickname ‘The Terminator.’
“It was a long time ago during the 1991 Rugby World Cup. We won the game against Wales, and I put three players in the hospital. That was quite an exercise, and the nickname came in,” the chilled tactician told Mozzart Sport.
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It was during that edition of the World Cup that put Samoa and Perelini on the rugby map. The BBC match report described him as a “one-man wrecking ball,” and rightly so. His hits that day were unforgiving.
He smiled as he recalled how, then, a young and explosive player would tackle anything on the pitch, mercilessly.
“I had a different mentality back then. I was young, and I would attack anything and anyone on the field.
That’s where they got my name, because I was a very ferocious player. I am not ferocious now; I am just an old soft man,” he chuckled.
Perelini’s achievements went beyond that unforgettable match.
In 1995, he made history by becoming the first Samoan player to feature in both Rugby Union and Rugby League World Cups, switching codes and representing Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup just four years after his Union heroics.
Later in his career, he graced English pitches with Sale Sharks in the Premiership, a memory fondly recalled by many rugby fans, especially those lucky enough to watch him up close in the north of England.
These days, Perelini has traded boots for a whiteboard and whistle. Since 2015, he has been the head coach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national rugby team.
Even in coaching mode, the intensity on his face betrays how deeply he still feels every tackle, pass, and decision.
The UAE team played the Kenya Simbas in a test match on Saturday, 24 May at the RFUEA Grounds, losing 54-24. It was the first time that Perelini and the majority of his charges visited Kenya.
“It is nice to come to Kenya. We wanted to play against this great Kenyan side, and we wanted to push our players.
To be good at the Asian Championship, we cannot just keep training — we have to play against some players. This is good learning for us,” he said.
Off the pitch, Perelini is warm and approachable. He hopes to lead the UAE to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but first, they need to win the Asian Cup later in the year.
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