Campese is the second oldest out 3 brothers, Salesi & Apakuki, born and raised in the Western suburbs of Sydney, he is of Tongan heritage through his father and Fijian heritage on his mother's side. His father and mother hail from the villages of Kolovai & Drue,Kadavu respectively.
The Ma'afu family made an especially interesting mark in rugby history in 2010 when the two brothers, Salesi and Campese, played against each other in a test match between Australia and Fiji. Elder brother Salesi played for the Wallabies at tight-head Prop while younger brother Campese played for Fiji at loose-head prop. A third brother, the youngest, 'Apakuki, plays for Tonga.[1]
Ma'afu has since notched up 14 appearances for the Midlands side and most recently helped Saints' second the Northampton Wanderers reach the final of the Aviva 'A' League. Ma'afu and the side beat Gloucester United 36-15 to take the title.[5]
It was announced on 5 June 2017 that Ma'afu would link up with fellow Saints Api Ratuniyarawa and head back to Fiji for the summer international.[6]
After 2 seasons with Northampton, Ma'afu initially signed for Ealing Trailfinders before subsequently joining Leicester Tigers for the 2018/19 season.[7] On 15 May 2019 he was announced as one of the players to leave Leicester following the end of the 2018-19 Premiership Rugby season.[8]
