International debut for Tani crowns his amazing career for Thurrock
By Nub News Reporter 11th Nov 2026
THURROCK rugby club has a trip to Finchley on Saturday (14 November) but many minds and thoughts will be a thousand miles away in Piešany, Slovakia.
That's where club stalwart Tani Loka will be pulling on an Albanian shirt to represent his national side in an international for the first time.
Earlier this year Loka played his 200th match for Thurrock and the club has expressed its pride in him, saying: "It's a fantastic achievement and a proud moment for Tani, his family and everyone at Thurrock RFC.
"From all of us at the Tees, congratulations Tani! Go smash it on the international stage!"
Loka reached his 200th 1st XV appearance for Thurrock on January 24, during a 34–15 victory over Billericay when he marked the milestone by scoring his 29th career try during 16 years with the club and earned man of the match honours.
The Albanian lock's journey in black and white began back in 2010, making his senior debut away at Saffron Walden in a title-winning campaign that saw T's clinch the London 2 North East crown (Level 7).
He quickly became a mainstay of the side, playing a key role as Thurrock went on to win London 1 North in 2012 (Level 6), returning the club to the National Leagues for the first time in 12 years.
After spending a couple of seasons away from the club with Brentwood and South Woodham Ferrers, Tani returned towards the end of the 2017/18 season when T's needed him most. His impact was immediate and decisive, helping the club avoid relegation from London 1 South, memorably scoring the winning try against Old Colfeians to secure Thurrock's status in the league.
Albania is an emerging rugby nation that is not yet competing in the main Rugby Europe pyramid but it has ambitions to do so, and Saturday's international friendly test match against Slovakia is a step on the way.
Slovakia normally competes in the Rugby Europe Conference (the lowest tier of the European XV pyramid), having played in Pool B during the 2025/26 season. However, Slovakia opted out of this season's competition, meaning they are playing standalone international test matches instead of league fixtures this season.
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