'It's always been a dream of mine to play for the Hurricanes': Lima Sopoaga's future ambitions
Lima Sopoaga played 88 matches for the Highlanders over an eight-year career with the men from the deep south of New Zealand.
In 2018, the talented playmaker made the decision to head to England, having helped the Highlanders to a Super Rugby title in 2015 as well as a win over the touring British & Irish Lions in 2017.
Sopoaga’s departure left a hole in the side that even the undeniable abilities of Josh Ioane won’t be able to fill for some time and it was a major disappointment for Highlanders fans at the time.
Further up the country in Wellington, Hurricanes supporters probably understood a little bit of what their compatriots in the south were going through, given that Sopoaga had previously made the decision to sign a contract with the Highlanders instead of his native Hurricanes.
“[Back in 2011], it was either a full contract for the Highlanders or a wider training squad contract with the Hurricanes,” Sopoaga told RugbyPass.
“Jamie Joseph was coaching the [Wellington] Lions at the time but he’d just accepted a job to go down to the Highlanders. I’d played just a couple of games for the Lions at the time, I think, then he gave me a call and asked me to come down to Dunedin.
“I told him I already had a training contract with the Hurricanes and he said, ‘No, this is a full contract,’ then told me I had two weeks to decide.”
Sopoaga was in two minds about the decision but obviously didn’t have too much time to mull the move over.
On the one hand, he had a contract on offer from the team he idolised growing up, albeit one that would likely see him spending considerably more time on the training pitch that on the playing field.
On the other hand, he’d been presented with the opportunity to join his provincial coach on a journey into the unknown.
In the end, it was the quest for higher honours than Super Rugby that saw Sopoaga pack up his bags and head south.
“I had some pretty good mates who played for the Hurricanes at the time and they just said that at the end of the day, my dream was to be an All Black, and I couldn’t achieve that dream holding tackle backs – I’d actually have to be out on the park playing some rugby,” Sopoaga said.
“I decided to just go down there and get some life experience – and that’s exactly what happened to me. Not only did I grow as a rugby player, but I grew as a person.”
Sopoaga didn’t expect to start too many matches with his new team due to the presence of Colin Slade, who’d also just relocated south, but was handed the No.10 jersey for the opening match of the 2011 competition after Slade broke his jaw during the pre-season.
Injuries unfortunately hampered Sopoaga for the rest of the season too but he was still able to get some handy minutes under his belt and in his fifth year with the Highlanders, helped guide the side to a Super Rugby championship – beating his old mates at the Hurricanes in the final.
“My family and friends, especially back in the days, were die-hard Hurricane supporters to the death,” Sopoaga said.
“I remember when I made the decision to leave Wellington, one of my cousins asked, ‘What the heck are you going to that **** team for?’ – Izzy Dagg was basically their only All Black and he’d just left to go to the Crusaders.”
You can imagine that a few of Sopoaga’s old friends were a fait bit miffed when he led the Highlanders to their victory – but winning at Westpac Stadium, the Hurricanes’ home-turf, meant Sopoaga was feeling nothing but ecstasy.
“To come home and play in front of a place I’ve been to for so many games and watched the Hurricanes play my whole life, to come home and obviously to win, was completely surreal,” Sopoaga said.
“I remember having tears of joy in a moment by myself.”
The decision to head south to the Highlanders when he was still a teenager had paid off immensely for Sopoaga – in more ways than one.
“I went down as a little 18-year-old and left that city as a 28-year-old man, having achieved my dreams; winning a title and having my daughter down there,” Sopoaga reflected.
“The replay got played over and over again and my head just kept dropping more and more as I looked at it.”
Former All Black Ben Smith spoke to @TomVinicombe about his less-than-ideal introduction to Top 14 rugby. #AllBlacks #SuperRugby #Top14https://t.co/o65Rt4T5Ug
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 13, 2020
Sopoaga is still chasing success in England after enduring a tough start to his life with his new side, Wasps. While Sopoaga’s future still resides in the UK, a return to New Zealand could be on the cards at some point – a return that might allow the first five to achieve his childhood dreams.
“I’ve got some really good mates – Ardie [Savea], TJ [Perenara] – and guys who I’ve played rugby with for a long time who are always trying to get me to come home,” Sopoaga revealed.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play for the Hurricanes. At least in the back of my mind, it’s always something that I’d consider.
“I grew up in Wellington, did all my schooling there and came up through the age-grades with guys like Brad Shields, Ardie, Jules [Savea]. I played with and against those guys the whole time I was growing up – so never say never.
In an ideal world, that won’t be any time soon, with Sopoaga thoroughly enjoying being in the Northern Hemisphere. The fly-half is well aware that he doesn’t have complete control over his future, however, and is willing to see where life takes him.
“My time over here might be cut short because of this coronavirus. You don’t know what’s going to happen, whether the competition will continue or not,” he said.
“I want to just crack on and keep this momentum going. I’d like to win something during my time up here as well.”
“I guess we’ve just got to wait and see. I could potentially see myself back [in New Zealand] at some point – never say never.”
While the sight of Lima Sopoaga sauntering onto the pitch formerly known as Westpac Stadium may send shivers down the spines of Hurricanes supporters everywhere, they may need to realign their expectations – the 29-year-old could be returning to make dreams come true, not destroy them.
Comments on RugbyPass
I think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to comments