Why Lima Sopoaga left New Zealand and forfeited the chance to play at a Rugby World Cup
It was 2017 when All Black Lima Sopoaga was initially approached by Wasps to join their set-up in England. It created a massive crossroads in the then 26-year-old’s career – should he forge ahead and try to earn a spot in the 2019 World Cup squad, achieving the ultimate dream of many a young New Zealand rugby player, or take the money and begin a new journey on foreign shores? You have to wind the clock back to understand how Sopoaga reached his ultimate decision.
It wasn’t the first time that the Wellington-born first five had received offers from overseas. Sopoaga had considered a move as early as 2013 when he was only a few years into his professional rugby career. The Highlanders had just completed their year from hell, finishing 14th on the competition ladder despite having brought in a number of experienced operators to complement their young talent.
“I’d actually been given an offer in Japan and I was about to take it,” Sopoaga told RugbyPass. “I learned that I didn’t even have to be an All Black to make good money. In 2013, we had the disaster in Dunedin. The rock stars came in and we still did ****. I was like ‘stuff that, I’m going to go’.”
But Sopoaga didn’t take the offer, instead choosing to stay in Dunedin and push harder. “I had some pretty honest conversations with a lot of people – one of them was Nasi Manu,” said Sopoaga. “We sat down and I remember he said: ‘You’ll know when your time is to leave.’ He believed that the best was yet to come for me and that I should keep at it and not to tap out when I was about to. That was essentially what had happened – we just decided to stay and I just gave it everything.”
It’s fair to say the decision paid off for the Highlanders pivot – less than two years later, the Highlanders were crowned Super Rugby champions and Sopoaga, who was the competition’s top scorer, received his first call-up to the All Blacks. Those two significant achievements make it one of Sopoaga’s most memorable seasons. “I had the best time ever, not only on the field but off the field,” said Sopoaga. “I achieved my dream and did something with some people that are pretty special to me.”
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Sopoaga’s first game for New Zealand came at first five against South Africa in Johannesburg with The Rugby Championship still on the line. As far as debuts go, they simply don’t come any tougher. Sopoaga took it all in his stride and did everything that was asked of him on the day, with the All Blacks emerging 27-20 victors. Then everything came crashing down. “It was like a fairy tale,” Sopoaga said. “It was like a fairy tale – but without the happy ending.”
Despite his exceptional performances for both the Highlanders and the All Blacks, Sopoaga was surplus requirements for the 2015 World Cup later that year. Instead, Steve Hansen opted to take Dan Carter, Colin Slade and Beauden Barrett to England. After playing his guts out and showing that he was one of the best playmakers in the country, Sopoaga was still left wanting.
“Obviously, people can say ‘if you play good enough, then you’re going to get picked’,” Sopoaga said. “But sometimes when you go to World Cups, it’s not just about how good you are but it’s also about the balance of the team. You can only take 31 guys and you may not necessarily take three specialist tens, you may only take two.”
It’s that rejection that played a major role in Sopoaga choosing to head offshore in 2018. “There was an opportunity here (in England) and it probably just came down to looking at some of the options for the All Blacks for 2019,” Sopoaga said. The No10 spot was well contested at the time and Sopoaga was just one option of many with two years still to play before the World Cup.
“When you’ve got someone like Damian McKenzie, you’ve got Richie (Mo’unga), you’ve got Beaudie (Barrett), Jodie Barrett is an option… not that I didn’t back myself, but I’d already gone through the heartbreak of missing 2015 and everything I went through that year, having to pull myself out of the gutter.”
There was also the issue that Sopoaga, despite being a superb flyhalf, wasn’t practised at covering any other positions. Contrast that to the Barrett brothers and McKenzie, who are all equally as capable at fullback as they are in the first-receiver role. “It was basically just a straight shoot-out between me and Richie,” said Sopoaga.
“So a lot of those things I thought about and I didn’t know if I was prepared to go through the heartbreak of missing out on selection or staying and missing out through injury a la someone like Damian McKenzie, who ended up sitting out through doing his ACL.”
It was these factors that ultimately led to Sopoaga making the call to sign overseas and head to England in 2018 instead of holding out and hoping to do the same with the All Blacks for the World Cup a year later. “The selection for a Rugby World Cup is never really yours,” Sopoaga said.
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“I’d already gone through that heartbreak. I’d just had my first daughter and Wasps put in a great offer. Having someone else decide my fate just wasn’t something I wanted to go through again. So I decided to take the future into my own hands and let what will be, be.”
It’s a decision that the now-Wasps pivot has never regretted, despite some tough times in England. “I had a great time playing this game in NZ – and I’m still having a great time. I’m still having experiences that I wouldn’t have had if I’d stayed in New Zealand. It’s not too bad, whichever way you flip the coin.”
Ultimately, Hansen took Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga as his two first fives – although the former never started a game at flyhalf, instead being utilised exclusively at fullback. Meanwhile, Jordie Barrett had a crack in the 10 jersey against Namibia. That doesn’t faze the now 29-year-old Sopoaga. “This is a decision that I made and I put it to bed a long time ago and I’m just happy for those guys that are still there,” he said.
“If someone said I was going to play 20 odd times for the All Blacks and travel around the world, make a debut in South Africa and kill it then, as a kid, I would have taken that with two hands and said thank you very much. I’ve been able to achieve a dream that so many kids around the world would love to achieve. I’m happy with what I’ve done and I was glad to leave it at that, move on and try something else.”
Comments on RugbyPass
This sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
12 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
12 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
12 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
12 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
12 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
12 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to comments