Who cracked the NFL
University, but caught the football bug. A fullback in American football, Lasike was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, but was waived. He latched on with the Chicago Bears, who he played 10 NFL games with from 2015-16.
‘‘It was fricking awesome,’’ he said. ‘‘It is hard to explain. When you run out it is such a rush. The American culture for sport is on a different level; it is like soccer in South America or in England.’’ Now 32, Lasike has returned to his first love of rugby, playing for the US national team, with Harlequins in the English premiership, and in USA’s Major League Rugby.
Stephen Paea
Born in Auckland but raised in Tonga where he played rugby, Paea dreamed of being a No 8 for the All Blacks. His family moved to the US when he was 16, and he showed promise in shot put and discus at high school. Attending Oregon State, where he played for the Beavers from 2008-10, Paea stood out as a defensive tackle, quickly making a name for himself. Selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Paea spent three years with the team before stints with Washington, Cleveland and Dallas, finishing up in 2017 – making 129 career tackles and producing 14 sacks.
Johan Asiata
Christchurch-born Asiata left New Zealand at a young age, growing up in Hawaii where he attended the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy, a military school in Kapolei. An offensive lineman, Asiata played college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 2007-08. Undrafted, he signed with the Bears in 2009 and played two regular season games for the team as a guard in 2010. Asiata later played in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions.
Nearly made it: Tevita Finau
Finau was born in Hamilton but spent his youth in Hawaii and Tonga. A defensive end, he attended the University of Utah. An offseason or practice squad member for multiple NFL teams from 2012-15, including Arizona, Philadelphia, Dallas, the New York Jets and Houston, he rubbed shoulders with plenty of NFL stars but never made the final roster cut or played in a regular season contest.