Clinton Toopi
Encyclopedia
Clinton Toopi is a professional rugby football
er who is currently playing for the Gold Coast Titans
of the National Rugby League
. His usual position is centre.
with the junior ranks of the Mt Wellington and Otahuhu Leopards
clubs. He played for Auckland South in the 1999 provincial competition. His first grade
career began with the then Auckland Warriors, debuting against the South Sydney Rabbitohs
on 2 May 1999. He went on to play 119 games for the club, including the 2002 Grand Final.
On 31 May 2006 Leeds Rhinos
announced the capture of Toopi for the 2007 season as a replacement for Chev Walker
. On 17 July he was granted an early release from the New Zealand Warriors so he could join the Rhinos for the rest of the season, this was granted the day before the deadline to register players in Super League. He made his debut on 4 August 2006 against Hull FC.
and expressed interest in joining the Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League
competition however he did not secure a contract.
Toopi instead returned to New Zealand and switched to rugby union
, joining the Whakatane Marist team in the Eastern Bay
rugby union
competition. On 18 June 2009 it was announced that he had made the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
's squad for the Air New Zealand Cup
, justifying his switch of codes. He agreed to join the Gold Coast Titans for 2010.
. He did enough to impress management and earn a one year contract.
side that played at the World Cup
.
Toopi represented New Zealand on twelve occasions between 2001 and 2005. Toopi played for the Kiwis 14 times. He scored three tries in one match against Australia in the 2005 Tri Nations.
Toopi again played for the New Zealand Māori in 2010, captaining the side against England
.
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
er who is currently playing for the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
of the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. His usual position is centre.
Playing career
Toopi began his career playing rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
with the junior ranks of the Mt Wellington and Otahuhu Leopards
Otahuhu Leopards
The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, New Zealand. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. They are coached by Peter Caccioppoli. Between 2000 and 2003 they also competed in the Bartercard Cup.The team are the current holders of...
clubs. He played for Auckland South in the 1999 provincial competition. His first grade
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
career began with the then Auckland Warriors, debuting against the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
on 2 May 1999. He went on to play 119 games for the club, including the 2002 Grand Final.
On 31 May 2006 Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
announced the capture of Toopi for the 2007 season as a replacement for Chev Walker
Chev Walker
Chev Walker is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Bradford Bulls of Super League. He has played both rugby league and rugby union professionally. Since 2007 he has played rugby league for Hull KR. Until 2010 when he signed a 1 year contract with the Bradford Bulls. Usually a ,...
. On 17 July he was granted an early release from the New Zealand Warriors so he could join the Rhinos for the rest of the season, this was granted the day before the deadline to register players in Super League. He made his debut on 4 August 2006 against Hull FC.
Rugby Union career
On 23 August 2008 Leeds released Toopi, due to a knee reconstruction that would keep him out of action for 9 months. He attracted interest from the Japanese rugby union club Sanyo Wild KnightsSanyo Wild Knights
Panasonic Wild Knights is a Japanese rugby union team based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half , it dominated the league in the fifth season and was the first team to be unbeaten throughout a Top League season.All-Japan Champions:...
and expressed interest in joining the Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
competition however he did not secure a contract.
Toopi instead returned to New Zealand and switched to rugby union
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...
, joining the Whakatane Marist team in the Eastern Bay
Eastern Bay
The Eastern Bay is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay located between Queen Anne's County, Maryland and Talbot County, Maryland on the Eastern Shore. Its main tributaries include the Miles River and the Wye River...
rugby union
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...
competition. On 18 June 2009 it was announced that he had made the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island...
's squad for the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
, justifying his switch of codes. He agreed to join the Gold Coast Titans for 2010.
Return to league
During the 2010 pre-season Toopi trialed with the Gold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
. He did enough to impress management and earn a one year contract.
Representative career
In 2000 Toopi was part of the Aotearoa MaoriNew Zealand Maori rugby league team
-See also:* New Zealand national rugby league team* New Zealand Māori rugby union team* New Zealand Māori cricket team-External links:* Google Books...
side that played at the World Cup
2000 Rugby League World Cup
The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
.
Toopi represented New Zealand on twelve occasions between 2001 and 2005. Toopi played for the Kiwis 14 times. He scored three tries in one match against Australia in the 2005 Tri Nations.
Toopi again played for the New Zealand Māori in 2010, captaining the side against England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
.