A Marlborough Boys College 1st XV captain in 2014 playing for NZ U20's in 2014 & 2015. Atu joined Waikato rugby in 2015 and the Chiefs in 2016, becoming an All Black (#1168) in 2017. He returned to the Tasman region in 2019 playing 1 Mako match before making 2019 Rugby World Cup team. He has suffered a season ending hip injury in 2020.