Lima Sopoaga
Position: First Five -Eighth
Born: 3/2/1991
Physical: 1.75m, 92kgs (5'9", 203lb)
Test Debut: v South Africa at Johannesburg, 25 July 2015
AN EXTREMELY SKILFUL first five-eighth, Lima Sopoaga was identified as a rugby talent at a young age but had to overcome struggles with injury to realise his potential. He made his Test debut in one of the great rugby cauldrons - Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Wellington-born and raised, Sopoaga accepted an offer from the Highlanders in 2011 and moved south where he has become a key member of the team. The same year, he was part of the New Zealand Under 20 team's Junior World Championship-winning campaign in Italy. Sopoaga built a reputation for taking the ball to the line, and for creating exciting opportunities for his powerful wings.
Sopoaga scored 12 points on his Test debut: three conversions and two penalties.
He made his provincial rugby debut with the Wellington Lions as a teenager but shifted to the Southland Stags in 2014 after 37 matches.
He scored more than 150 points in three Investec Super Rugby campaigns from 2014 - 2016.