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Wairangi Koopu

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Wairangi Koopu
Personal information
Full nameDane Wairangi Manurea Koopu[1]
Born (1980-04-02) 2 April 1980 (age 44)
Opotiki, New Zealand
Playing information
Height187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight100 kg (15 st 10 lb)
PositionSecond-row, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–08 New Zealand Warriors 159 34 0 0 136
2009 Melbourne Storm 12 1 0 0 4
Total 171 35 0 0 140
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–08 New Zealand Māori 5 1 0 0 4
2004–05 New Zealand 3 0 0 0 0
Source: NRL Stats RLP

Wairangi Koopu (born 2 April 1980 in Opotiki, New Zealand) is a professional rugby league player for the Pt Chev Pirates in New Zealand. Koopu primarily plays in the second row, although he also can play in the centres.

Early years

Before joining the New Zealand Warriors, Koopu played for the Taniwharau Rugby League club in Huntly.[2] In 1998 he also represented the Waikato Cougars, played for the Junior Kiwis and was named in the National Māori tournament team after representing Waikato Māori.[3]

Koopu is fluent in Te Reo Maori and often appears on Māori Television.[4] He is a part of the iwi Te whanau a apanui.[citation needed]

During the early part of 1999, while on contract with the Warriors, Koopu played for the Glenora Bears and represented Auckland North.[5]

Playing career

Warriors

Koopu made his first grade debut for the Auckland Warriors in Round 6, 1999. He went on to play for the club 159 times, earning the nickname "Mr Consistency", which is interesting.[6]

Koopu played for the New Zealand Warriors from the interchange bench in their 2002 NRL Grand Final loss to the Sydney Roosters.

Koopu seriously injured his shoulder in 2006 and never fully regained his consistency with the Warriors.[7] As a result, after ten years with the Warriors, Koopu was released by the club at the end of the 2008 season.

Melbourne

After being released by the Warriors, Koopu considered a switch to rugby union and trained with the Auckland Rugby Union team, but he eventually accepted a one-year contract with the Melbourne Storm for the 2009 season.[4][7][8][9] The Storm team won the Premiership that year.

Representative career

Koopu played for the New Zealand Māori in 1999 and at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup but it was not until 2004 that he made his debut for the New Zealand Kiwis.[10] In 2008 Koopu again played for the New Zealand Māori in two games, including a match against an Indigenous Dreamtime side.

Koopu (second from left) playing for Pt Chev in 2010

Later years

In 2010 Koopu played alongside Stacey Jones and Awen Guttenbeil for the Pt Chev Pirates in Auckland Rugby Leagues Phelan Shield. He remained with the club in 2011 when they competed in the Fox Memorial qualifying round.

In 2015, he was named at loose forward in Taniwharau's team of their first 70 years.[11]

Identity theft

In 2010 an internet fraudster posed as Koopu and contacted the AMNRL's David Niu, organising for him to play in the AMNRL with the Northern Raiders.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ^ KOOPU, DANE WAIRANGI MANUREA 2004 - 2005 - KIWI #715 nzleague.co.nz
  2. ^ "Warriors profile: Wairangi Koopu". One Sport. 9 June 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  3. ^ New Zealand Rugby League Annual '98, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. p.p.133-135
  4. ^ a b "Warrior Wairangi keen on rugby switch". Sunday News. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  5. ^ Jessup, Peter (16 March 1999). "Rugby League: Injury gives Hoppe a starting chance". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Wairangi Koopu". Television New Zealand. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  7. ^ a b Aaron Lawton (9 Nov 2008). "Koopu flies into Storm coop". Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 9 Nov 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) [dead link]
  8. ^ "Koopu joins Auckland as he 'weighs options'". Rugby Heaven. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  9. ^ Gould, Russell (10 June 2009). "Swine flu hits Storm star". Herald Sun (Melbourne). Retrieved 3 July 2009. [dead link]
  10. ^ "GB have Long to thank". BBC Sport. 5 November 1999. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  11. ^ AARON GOILE (3 February 2015). "Lance Hohaia named Taniwharau rugby league club's best". Stuff.
  12. ^ "Monday meeting for Tahu, Joey". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  13. ^ Steve Kilgallon Koopu off to America Sunday Star-Times, 20 June 2010
  14. ^ Lawton, Aaron (4 July 2010). "League stars scammed". Sunday News. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
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