Iva Ropati
Iva Lewis Ropati[2] is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and high school principal. He played at representative level for New Zealand, Auckland and Taranaki, and at club level for the Otahuhu Leopards, the Te Atatu Roosters, the Mangere East Hawks, the Sheffield Eagles, the Featherstone Rovers, Oldham, the Parramatta Eels, the Auckland Warriors and the Manurewa Marlins, as a centre.
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| Full name | Iva Lewis Ropati | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 July 1968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
Early years
He grew up playing for the Otahuhu Leopards before moving to the Te Atatu Roosters where he won a Fox Memorial premiership. He later played for the Mangere East Hawks before moving to England. During the 1991 season Iva was able to twice line up alongside four of his brothers for Mangere East in the Auckland Rugby League competition.[3] Iva played alongside Joe, John, Peter, and Tea.
Professional career
When he moved to England, Ropati played for the Sheffield Eagles, Featherstone Rovers and Oldham. Iva Ropati played right-centre, i.e. number 3, and scored a try in Featherstone Rovers' 14-20 defeat by Bradford Northern in the 1989 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1989–90 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Sunday 5 November 1989. He scored 30 tries for Sheffield in the 1991–92 season,[4] which remained a club record until it was broken in 2012. In 1994 he moved to Australia to play for the Parramatta Eels in the NSWRL premiership. He finished his career with the new Auckland Warriors in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 he returned to the Auckland Rugby League competition, playing with the Manurewa Marlins.[5] As an import player, he represented Taranaki in the 1998 National Provincial Competition.[6]
Representative career
In 1993 Ropati was selected for the New Zealand national rugby league team and played in four test matches.
Later years
He was principal at the recently renamed One Tree Hill College, but is now principal at Howick College, East Auckland. In 2009 he was one of six New Zealanders awarded a Sir Peter Blake emerging leadership award.
In 2009 he was appointed to the new Counties Manukau Zone board after the restructuring of the New Zealand Rugby League. He was nominated to serve on the New Zealand Rugby League board in 2012 as an independent director.[7]
Family
His family is famous in rugby league circles and includes brothers Joe, Peter, Tea and Romi. He now has a family of 4, married to Kerrie Lee Ropati with two daughters Olivia Nancy Ropati and Georgia Lee Ropati.
References
- "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ROPATI, IVA LEWIS 1993 - KIWI #641 Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
- Coffey and Wood The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League ISBN 1-86971-090-8
- "Speedy Eagle at front of 'Q' to break record". The Star. Johnston Press. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- New Zealand Rugby League Annual '98, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. p.129
- New Zealand Rugby League Annual '98, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. p.144
- Appointments to NZRL Board Archived 2015-01-03 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 2 June 2012