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'I've found that Mojo again': Why Lima Sopoaga is confident he's turned a corner in Europe
Lima Sopoaga left New Zealand at the height of his career.
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He had only just established himself in the All Blacks squad and been in the driver’s seat for the Highlanders for a run of five finals appearances, including a maiden championship in 2015.
As far as anyone could tell, the Wasps club in England had secured themselves an excellent playmaker who could offer them experience, poise and flair at the ripe age of 27 – but that’s not exactly what unfolded.
Some players, when they transfer from one club to another, go from strength to strength while others struggle.
Sopoaga fell in the latter category and Wasps fans were quick to turn on the Wellington-born pivot for not immediately lighting up the park upon his arrival to Coventry.
Sopoaga is the first to admit that he didn’t exactly start with a hiss and a roar upon when he touched down in the UK.
“There are just a whole bunch of different things that probably played into why I wasn’t performing so great,” Sopoaga told RugbyPass.
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“You come over and you say, ‘Rugby is just a game played on a square bit of grass. You’ve got to get the ball over the line and then kick it through the posts’.
“But there are a whole bunch of other factors that play into it like a new team, new culture, being on a completely different side of the world.”
Sopoaga had spent the better part of eight years forging relationships and combinations with players at the Highlanders. Joseph signed the Wellington Lion as a sprightly 19-year-old and it’s fair to say that his new team didn’t really see the best of Sopoaga until the latter half of his career with the men from the deep south.
Of course, a big part of that growth was simply due to Sopoaga getting more experience under his belt and improving as a player in his own right – but there’s also a familiarity aspect to it.
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Understanding how the players around you think and act is exceptionally important for a team’s key pivot –more so than in any other position except perhaps halfback and Sopoaga had spent almost a decade learning the ins and outs of the men around him.
“I spent eight years of my life down in Dunedin; eights years of time and continuity,” Sopoaga said. “You build relationships, you understand the nuances of different players or tendencies of what players like.
“You can look at the relationship I was able to have with guys like Ben Smith and Aaron Smith, Elliot Dixon, Nasi Manu and guys like that – who I spent hours and weeks and months with, going away on trips, failing and succeeding. Sometimes you can forget that it takes time to build these relationships.
“The way I like to play the game won’t necessarily be the way guys here like to play the game. It’s kind of just finding that midpoint; what the winger likes, what the centre likes. So I think that plays a big part. And yeah, just trying to build those relationships as quickly as possible.”
Sopoaga knew exactly how he fitted into the tight-knight culture that had been created by Joseph, Tony Brown and the senior players at the Highlanders and that all changed once he joined the Wasps.
Sopoaga arrived in England at the end of August – days before the Premiership kicked off and barely a week before the flyhalf was called upon to play his first match for his new club. Sopoaga’s starting debut came just two weeks after the New Zealander touched down on UK soil.
In any position, finding top form would be a considerable struggle when you’ve just packed your life up and travelled halfway around the world to join a new team in a new country during a different season of the year. Things are even tougher when you’re expected to guide the team around the park.
Sopoaga’s task was all the more mighty because he’d replaced Danny Cipriani, who’d been arguably the form No.10 in England for a few seasons running, so pundits and fans alike naturally had high expectations.
The first month or so in the Premiership went well enough and the wins were coming but Sopoaga still hadn’t slotted in as seamlessly as many would have liked – though factor in that the Wasps backline was, at the time, missing the likes of Wille le Roux, Jimmy Gopperth, Dan Robson and Christian Wade and it’s not hard to see why the play wasn’t quite as smooth as it had been the season prior.
Results weren’t so flash in the Champions Cup and, as is typical, the microscope fell on the man handed the playmaking duties, who’d still not found his best form.
“Some guys do it really well and hit the ground running but if your team’s not doing so well, confidence is low and they’ve lost their groove, you tend to try harder but things just get worse,” Sopoaga said.
“I look at myself and the things I can control, and I probably could have controlled a few things better but I guess that’s the beauty of hindsight and being able to reflect and really look at myself in the mirror and ask myself those hard questions.”
“When I made the decision to leave Wellington, one of my cousins asked, 'What the heck are you going to that **** team for?'"@LimaSopoaga spoke to @TomVinicombe about his decision to head to the @Highlanders and where he could be going in the future.https://t.co/WuT7ocGz1L
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 17, 2020
Sopoaga’s less-than-impressive form had some fans braying for the pivot to be released from Wasps’ duties while rumours started swirling last year that either the club was looking to offload the New Zealander or Sopoaga himself was looking to make an early exit from his three-year deal. Those rumours couldn’t have been further from the truth, however.
“The rumours certainly didn’t come from me,” said Sopoaga. “I knew I was signed for three years.
“Obviously, my friends saw it, my family saw it, other the public saw it. People messaged me straight away to say, ‘Bro, are you leaving?’ and asking what was going on.
“I think if I were a little bit younger, I would have taken that very personally. I probably would have been like, ‘Sweet, I’m off, this club doesn’t want me’ but knowing what I know now, you kind of just take those things with a grain of salt and have a laugh.”
Wasps have recently confirmed their departing players for the season ahead and Sopoaga still has his feet firmly planted at the Ricoh Arena and now, a bit older and a bit wiser, the 29-year-old is ready to make the impact for Wasps that was promised when he first arrived in England.
Yup got one more year ?
— Lima Sopoaga (@LimaSopoaga) June 6, 2020
“I have the knowledge that I can deliver. I know I can play rugby well, I can fit it with the best in the world, there’s no doubt about that. I guess it’s just that when you lose your confidence, that’s a massive thing. But when you get a player who is sky-high on confidence, they’re pretty unstoppable.
“I’ve found that Mojo again, or whatever it may be and I’ve just come to the realization that I don’t have much time left in this game. If I want to go out, I might as well go out with a bang and do it the way I want. That’s with a smile on my face, that’s doing the first thing that comes to my mind when I get the ball, when I make a pass or catch a high ball or whatever – I’m going to do the first thing that comes into my head.”
In fact, Sopoaga had just started putting his best foot forward when the Premiership season was called to a halt due to coronavirus but it was in the unusual position of fullback, where the playmaker had never started a professional game prior to Wasps’ match against Gloucester.
“It was probably the most nervous I’ve been leading into the game,” Sopoaga admitted. “It was probably up there with my Test debut and the Super Rugby grand final.
“It’s a new position that I’d never played before. Obviously, you step up when you’re chucked in there from the bench but to start presented a new challenge and it was actually quite refreshing to be able to play in a new spot and I really enjoyed it.
“I really enjoyed the preparation of the week but that’s probably when I get nervous. But, on game day, as soon as I walked through the doors, I was just bouncing and happy and just couldn’t wait to crack into it and have a go.”
"I just didn’t have that same attachment to the Blues."
Jack Goodhue spoke to @TomVinicombe about his move from Northland to @CrusadersRugby and where his North v South allegiance lies.https://t.co/G3yDGVjMj5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 7, 2020
Wasps emerged from the fixture with a 39-22 win, scoring five tries and conceding four, which left Sopoaga’s side sitting in fifth place on the Premiership ladder.
With the competition set to resume in early August, Sopoaga will be ready to stamp his mark – potentially in the 15 jersey – and will be hoping that the extended break away from the game will have him fit and firing for Wasps’ first encounter.
“I’d just come back to really enjoying my rugby and enjoying just being out there,” Sopoaga said. “[I’d been] trying to fall in love with the game again because I probably lost a little bit of that over the last year and a bit.
“The last year has been a real test not only physically but mentally. I’ve had a few injuries since being here but I want to play well and have a good time and help the boys win – the match against Gloucester was a big step in the right direction.”
With the playmaker locked in for one last year with Wasps, Lima Sopoaga still has plenty of time to win the hearts of the Coventry faithful but will be competing with Jacob Umaga and fellow Kiwi Jimmy Gopperth for game time in the 10 jersey, as well as Italian wunderkind Matteo Minozzi for the fullback berth – but that doesn’t faze Sopoaga. The Super Rugby champion knows he has what it takes to foot it with the best and at the end of the day, it’s not the opinions of the wider public that will impact how his stay with Wasps concludes.
“At the end of the day, we’re in this game and you’ve got to take the good with the bad,” Sopoaga said. “You’re never as good as anyone says you are, and you’re also never as bad.”
“I would’ve loved to keep the momentum going after the win against Gloucester but now’s a good time to take stock of what matters and that really is family and spending time with those who are near you and staying in touch with those that are really important.
“As long as your family still love you and there are people you’ve got great relationships with that still care about you, then that’s all that really matters. Everything else is just noise.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
29 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
29 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
29 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments