Initially a promising New Zealand boxer, Tuatagaloa fell into rugby in his late teens (2007) and the athletically strong runner impressed with his quick grasp of the game.
He quickly rose through the NZ development system and in 2012 his form saw him make his debut for the New Zealand Sevens team.
As a result of his good handling and defensive skills combined with his speed and elusiveness, Tuatagaloa also gained a contract with provincial powerhouse Canterbury in 2013 where he was also drafted into Crusaders Squad for the 2013 season.
Once recovered from injury the Olympic rules allowed Tuatagaloa to switch to the Samoan national sevens team to play in the 2015 through to 2018 seasons which included a memorable IRB Tournament win in Paris 2016.
He played in France for Valence Romans Rugby (French Fédérale 1) and was the leading try scorer in this competition with 18 tries in the 2018–19 season.