tatafu was first capped for tonga during a test match against fiji, on 27 july 1996, in nuku'alofa. he also was part of the tongan roster for the 1999 rugby world cup, playing two matches in the tournament. tatafu last played for tonga during a test against papua new guinea, on 7 december 2002, in nuku'alofa. at club level, he played the national provincial championship for north otago and later, he moved in france to play for saint nazaire rugby loire-atlantique in fédérale 1.