Lima’s final fling
When Lima Sopoaga was a fresh faced 18-year-old new to life in Dunedin, he loved a good scarfie party.
In those early days down south, Sopoaga was plagued by injury issues, spending plenty of time off the field. Dunedin’s student culture may have been a contributor.
‘‘That’s probably why I used to get injured heaps, hanging out with my student mates and just being young, doing what students do down there when actually I wasn’t even a student, I was a professional football player,’’ Sopoaga said. ‘‘I spent a lot of nights at the Cook and Monkey Bar and things like that, they were good times.’’
It’s those kind of memories of his time in Dunedin, teamed with the ones of a Highlanders Super Rugby triumph and wearing an All Blacks jersey, which will make it so hard to pack up and leave come season’s end.
Sopoaga has signed on the dotted line with English club Wasps, where he will join good friend Brad Shields at the end of the 2018 Super Rugby campaign.
There is no hint of regret in Sopoaga’s voice when he speaks of his impending move, nor the memories, good and bad, he’s made with the Highlanders.
You can certainly hear the nostalgia when he speaks about Dunedin, and pure excitement when talking about his near future.
There is even disbelief at just how well things have gone.
‘‘Dunedin, I moved down there as an 18 year old and I would never have thought I would leave as a 27 year old, having been there so long,’’ Sopoaga said.
‘‘I’m pretty close to that place and I gave my all to that city and this team. I leave with no regrets.
‘‘I think if you’re leaving a club you always dream for that fairytale where you finish with the trophy above your head. You move on to the next journey on a high, but it’s not that simple and not that easy trying to achieve that.
‘‘I’m really going to have fun and really going to enjoy it down in Dunedin, enjoy the fans, enjoy my family and friends and really make 2018 a whole bunch of fun. Make some really good memories.’’
Sopoaga was a key cog when the Highlanders won the Super Rugby title in 2015, defeating the Hurricanes 21-14 in the final.
That same year he made his debut for the All Blacks, the first of 16 caps to date for the national side.
Weighing up his career achievements with his long term future made the call to move to England a relatively easy one. Sopoaga has done all he set out to do.
‘‘It was weighing that up and what I wanted in the future, how I’ve grown up myself and the things I’ve wanted to achieve.
‘‘I’ve achieved [my goals] in New Zealand, and when I think about my daughter, it’s just all about her and providing the best future possible for her and my family.
‘‘Heading to the World Cup was the big one. It would have been nice to play 50 games, but for a kid like myself, even playing one game for the All Blacks was a dream come true, let alone 15 or 16.
‘‘It’s not a great amount, but I’ve truly cherished my time in that jersey.’’
Sopoaga has peaked at a time when Beauden Barrett was at the top of the game, and as Dan Carter was coming to the end of his All Blacks playing days.
You won’t find the softly spoken former Wellington College pupil speaking badly of two men who kept him out of an All Blacks jumper.
‘‘High performance sport isn’t fair, you know. I guess I just happened to come at a time when you’ve got guys like Carter and [Aaron] Cruden and Barrett who are great players. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
‘‘When I look back on my career I’ll be able to sit down and say that I got to room with Dan Carter. That’s pretty cool.
‘‘I’ve been blessed to play with some of the greats of the game and see some outstanding careers in the black jersey, but mine is taking a different path.’’
That path heads toward one final crack at a Super Rugby title with the Highlanders. The fairytale finish would see Sopoaga hoisting the trophy above his head in front of the Zoo at Forsyth Barr, in front of the very people he partied with in his younger days.
‘‘I’m really going to have fun and really going to enjoy it down in Dunedin, enjoy the fans, enjoy my family and friends and really make 2018 a whole bunch of fun. Make some really good memories.’’
Lima Sopoaga