Buxton Popoali'i
Encyclopedia
Buxton Popoali'i is a rugby union
player who represents Otago
in the ITM Cup, playing as a winger and fullback.
. He would spend three seasons with Wellington, but appeared in only 19 matches over that stretch, mainly off the bench.
Looking for more playing time, Popoali'i moved to Otago for the 2011 ITM Cup
. He quickly established himself as a starter on the wing, and scored his first provincial try in a 32-25 victory over Auckland on 20 July. He finished the season as the province's leading try-scorer with 4, and was the only Otago player to start every match over the year.
Popoali'i is also an accomplished rugby sevens
player, and appeared in two sevens tournaments for New Zealand in 2009. He was again on the New Zealand sevens squad in 2011.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who represents Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
in the ITM Cup, playing as a winger and fullback.
Playing career
Popoali'i overcame heart valve replacement surgery at age 16 to crack the Wellington provincial squad for the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup2008 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2008 Air New Zealand Cup was a provincial rugby union competition involving 14 teams from New Zealand. Matches started on Thursday 31 July 2008, and continued until the final on 25 October 2008....
. He would spend three seasons with Wellington, but appeared in only 19 matches over that stretch, mainly off the bench.
Looking for more playing time, Popoali'i moved to Otago for the 2011 ITM Cup
2011 ITM Cup
The 2011 ITM Cup is the 35th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand, the sixth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the second under the new sponsor of ITM ....
. He quickly established himself as a starter on the wing, and scored his first provincial try in a 32-25 victory over Auckland on 20 July. He finished the season as the province's leading try-scorer with 4, and was the only Otago player to start every match over the year.
Popoali'i is also an accomplished rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
player, and appeared in two sevens tournaments for New Zealand in 2009. He was again on the New Zealand sevens squad in 2011.