The Tongan born front-rower is a graduate of the John Jones Steel High-Performance Programme and debuted for the Highlanders in round 3 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Competition. 

An impressively sized prop, Ma'u, benefitted from training blocks with the Highlanders squad for the three years prior to becoming a contracted Super Rugby player. A horror run of injuries limited Ma'u's game time prior to 2022, and arguably delayed his rise to Super Rugby, and it is a credit to the young man that he has been able to overcome those injuries and return to full fitness to continue his dream of a professional rugby career.