While not an original Hurricanes selection in 1996, Alex Telea ended up playing in ten of their eleven games in the first Super 12 competition. He proved himself to be a multiple try scorer, having once scored four tries in a match for Wellington and two tries on four occasions for the Hurricanes – against the Reds and the Highlanders in 1997 and the Stormers and the Chiefs in 1998.

Telea also played test rugby for Western Samoa, and was for a time the only New Zealand Super rugby player to have scored a try against the All Blacks when he crossed in a test match in 1996.

At first class level Telea featured on the wing for Wellington between 1993-1996 and played for Southland in 2000. Telea was selected for the New Zealand Colts in 1993 but did not play a match on tour.