Rodney So'oialo
New Zealand
player portrait
Full name Rodney So'oialo
Born October 3, 1979, Moto'otua, Western Samoa
Current age 44 years 177 days
Major teams Barbarians, Classic All Blacks, Hurricanes, Wellington, New Zealand
Position Back-row
Height 6 ft 3 in
Weight 240 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 2002-2009 62 53 9 30 6 0 0 0 53 9 0 85.48
Bledisloe Cup 2005-2009 15 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 13 2 0 86.66
IRB Rugby World Cup 2003-2007 8 5 3 15 3 0 0 0 7 1 0 87.5
The Rugby Championship 2003-2009 25 22 3 0 0 0 0 0 18 7 0 72

Career statistics
Test debut Wales v New Zealand at Millennium Stadium, Nov 23, 2002 match details
Last Test Italy v New Zealand at Milan, Nov 14, 2009 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list
Profile

Rodney So'oialo kicked off the 2008 Tri Nations Championship as captain of the All Blacks in the absence of the injured Richard McCaw; a fine achievement for a Samoa-born back-row forward who has fought off occasional doubters to be a regular pick for New Zealand since his debut in 2002.

So'oialo was selected in McCaw's No. 7 jersey for that captaincy debut against South Africa, but is more ordinarily found at the back of the scrum. He was the 61st man to lead the All Blacks, and it was his 45th cap. He was a full-back for Wellington Secondary Schools as a fifth-former before moving into the forwards the following year and on to Wellington age-grade representation. His older brother Steven has appeared for Samoa and the Pacific Islanders at scrum-half and played for Orrell and Harlequins.

In 2001, Rodney So'oialo played in the winning New Zealand team at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Argentina. The following year he had more Sevens success with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. He made his debut for the All Blacks in November 2002, at No. 8 in a 43-17 win over Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

In June 2003 So'oialo - a former NZ Under-21 cap - started at No. 8 against England in Wellington, famously contributing to his side's downfall with an unsuccessful drive for the line when the visitors were two men short at the scrum. He played as a replacement the following month against South Africa and made four appearances (including two from the bench) later in the year at the World Cup in Australia.

So'oialo's explosive pace from No. 8 suited the All Blacks' free-running style under head coach Graham Henry, and after two caps in tour in 2004 he featured in 11 out of 12 Tests in 2005, including a start at No. 7 in the third Test against the British & Irish Lions.

So'oialo has more than 50 provincial appearances for Wellington to his name since his debut in 2000 and in the Super 14 he was the captain of the Hurricanes through the 2006 season which culminated in the fog-bound final defeat by McCaw's Crusaders. Scrum staff (October 2008)

Latest Articles
Welsh regions baulk at So'oialo's wage demands (Aug 2, 2013) All Black linked with Wales switch (Jul 26, 2013) All Blacks bid farewell (Jun 16, 2011) So'oialo to join Honda Heat (Jun 2, 2011) Leeds swoop for Hohneck (May 24, 2010) Rodney So'oialo news and articles (27) »
Latest Photos
Dec 4, 2010
The Barbarians' Rodney So'oialo looks on
The Barbarians' Rodney So'oialo looks on
©  Getty Images
Nov 30, 2010
Barbarians flanker Rodney So'oialo claims a lineout
Barbarians flanker Rodney So'oialo claims a lineout
©  Getty Images
Nov 10, 2010
Players get rowing at the Super 15 squads announcement
Players get rowing at the Super 15 squads announcement
©  Getty Images
May 7, 2010
The Hurricanes' Rodney So'oialo is confronted by the Reds' defence
The Hurricanes' Rodney So'oialo is confronted by the Reds' defence
©  Getty Images
Rodney So'oialo rugby photos (30) »

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