Player Wairangi Koopu

[Wiki_old]

Wairangi Koopu

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Koopu steps up to take the lead
14 February 2006
By GIFFORD LEE

This season is Wairangi Koopu's year to take a leadership mantle at the Warriors as the rugby league franchise prepares to embark on the NRL season without the irreplaceable experience of Stacey Jones and Monty Betham.

Koopu has been with the club since he was a teenager and is now one of three current players to boast more than 100 appearances in a Warriors jersey. He has 116 club caps over a six-year career. The others are Awen Guttenbeil (147) and Clinton Toopi (119).

A third of the Warriors' extended senior squad of 36 are teenagers with little or no caps to their name and Koopu, while only 25, feels comfortable in the role of mentor and wants to teach from the training field what is expected in the playing arena.

"It's quite important for me this season to teach, and learn, as much as I can to the young guys in the squad," Koopu said.

"It's something I've worked towards last year after coming back from the Kiwis' tour in late 2004 where I gained a lot of confidence and experience playing alongside some pretty big names."

Koopu was the only Warrior last year to play all 25 NRL season matches and he missed just one training run. He said the late 2004 Kiwi tour and the rigours of the Australian season had him stale at year's end when the Warriors finished 11th out of 15 teams.

However, he would have been jumping out of his skin if offered the chance to be part of the remarkable Tri-Nations victory.
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Unfortunately for Koopu, his favoured second-rower position is the most competitive in the country and he was bypassed for the Kiwis tour by David Kidwell, Louis Anderson, Ali Lauiti'iti and David Solomona.

While extremely dissappointed by his non-selection, Koopu was realistic why he was overlooked and motivated to establish himself as one of the many leading players in his position.

"I was so ready for the Kiwi tour. It was dissappointing to not be part of it especially with the boys doing so well.

"Last year was huge for me though. I thankfully stayed injury free and if I'm lucky again this year I can start where I left off."

Perhaps the biggest endorsement Koopu has received came from his Warriors coach Ivan Cleary yesterday.

"He is a leader. He's always fit. He never misses a (training) session. With Wairangi you know what you're going to get week-in-week-out and that's a hell of a lot."

https://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3572182a1823,00.html

 

[Wiki_old]

Good good. He wanted that Kiwi jersey. Maybe he will play his heart out this year and regain it?

More promising news.

 

[ozbash_old]

koops has got captain written all over him. by the time wai koopu retires he will be known as one of nz,s great players.

blowed if i know why he missed the tri series, puletua had no form, neither had awen - koops had a much better season than him,kidwell and koopu would have created havoc.

 

[L N_old]

blowed if i know why he missed the tri series, puletua had no form, neither had awen - koops had a much better season than him,kidwell and koopu would have created havoc.

for being the most consistent warrior player
was a mystery why he wasn't involved
really unfortunate heres hoping he stays consistent
then reaps a selection call up

 

[warriors4life_old]

let's hope 2006 for him is better

 

[ieLzee_old]

Seasoned back rower Wairangi Koopu will stay in the centres for the Warriors' NRL clash against competition-leading Brisbane at Ericsson Stadium on Sunday.

The 26-year-old was at right centre for all but 10 minutes of last Saturday night's loss to Cronulla after winger Todd Byrne had his right arm broken in an early tackle.

In the reshuffle after Byrne's exit, Koopu was moved out from his second rower's role, regular right centre Tony Martin was shifted one out to the right wing and Misi Taulapapa switched to Byrne's spot on the left wing.

With Byrne out for eight weeks and first-choice winger Manu Vatuvei still troubled by a hamstring strain, head coach Ivan Cleary has opted to stay with the right-side combination used against the Sharks.

"Tony started the season for us on the right wing and Wai has proven in the past that he's more than capable of doing the job in the centres," Cleary said.

"He scored two tries playing there against the Sharks and certainly showed some decent pace for his second from a long way out."

Koopu's move to the centres means Kiwi international Louis Anderson comes back into the starting line-up in the second row along with Awen Guttenbeil, who was a late defection from the side last weekend through illness. It was only the second time Guttenbeil has been missing from the team since the start of last season.

Another swap sees captain Steve Price back in the run-on combination for his 249th first-grade appearance while Evarn Tuimavave is on the interchange bench again. That means 19-year-old Sam Rapira, who impressed in his first two NRL matches, drops out.

The injuries to Byrne and Vatuvei also allow Clinton Toopi to return to the squad on the interchange bench after he played for the Tamaki Leopards in their win against the Central Falcons in the Bartercard Cup last weekend.

The Warriors have built up an impressive seven-win three loss record against Brisbane since beating the Queenslanders for the first time in 2001.

"But we'll have to find our best form to compete with them on Sunday," Cleary said.

"They come here leading the competition while we're still looking for consistency. After the win against Wests Tigers, we said we wanted greater consistency in our performances. We didn't get that at all against the Sharks so we're back where we started."

Shayne Hayne has been named as referee.

Warriors Team:
1 Brent Webb, 2 Tony Martin, 3 Wairangi Koopu, 4 Simon Mannering, 5 Misi Taulapapa, 6 Jerome Ropati, 7 Grant Rovelli, 8 Ruben Wiki, 9 Nathan Fien, 10 Steve Price, 11 Awen Guttenbeil, 12 Louis Anderson, 13 Sione Faumuina, 14 George Gatis, 15 Evarn Tuimavave, 16 Clinton Toopi, 17 Micheal Luck

 

[danco_old]

i feel for sam rapira missing out but ivan going for michael luck is because he is reliable and steady.

 

[warriors4life_old]

Wairangi Koopu has the potential to succeed at centre, he was probably the best Warrior on the park last Saturday playing at centre.

 

[Jesbass_old]

Plus he is an ex-centre, too, so he knows the ropes.

 

[warriors4life_old]

From warriors.co.nz

Vodafone Warriors forward Wairangi Koopu is eyeing his 50th consecutive first-grade appearance.

Sunday's clash against the Bulldogs will be the 26-year-old's 49th straight match in a sequence stretching back to 2004.

He played the last eight matches that season, followed by all 24 in 2005 and he has been ever-present in the first 16 matches this year.

That leaves him in line to reach the half century in Saturday week's home match against Parramatta.

Koopu plays his 133rd career game on Sunday, ranking him fourth on the Vodafone Warriors' all-time list behind Stacey Jones (238), Awen Guttenbeil - who plays his 163rd match this weekend - and Logan Swann (145).

TEAM

• There are no changes to the 17 players originally named.
• The team had a training run this afternoon and will train again tomorrow morning before leaving for Sydney.
• Sam Rapira is travelling as the 18th man.
• Captain Steve Price has come through Wednesday night’s final State of Origin match untroubled after playing the first 70 minutes without being interchanged. It will be the first time Price has played in front of a Bulldogs crowd since leaving his old club.
• Evarn Tuimavave reverts to the interchange bench after starting in Price’s absence last week.
• Awen Guttenbeil has again been named in No 11 but is set to start the match from the bench as has been the case in recent weeks. This enables him to be introduced to the match as one of the early interchanges to provide on-field leadership in the middle stages of the game.
• The same backline has appeared in each of the Vodafone Warriors’ four consecutive wins and is set to start for the fifth straight time on Sunday.

CASUALTY WARD

• Epalahame Lauaki (pectoral) and Todd Byrne (arm) remain on the injured list this week. They are both due to return in early August.

TRANS-TASMAN RUGBY LEAGUE CUP

• The three players from the Vodafone Warriors’ first-grade squad who were in the New Zealand Residents team at the Trans-Tasman Rugby League Cup tournament in Rotorua have all returned to training. All three scored tries when the Residents beat New South Wales in the final – winger Cooper Vuna with two and back rower Sonny Fai and prop George Tuakura with one each.

BARTERCARD CUP

• Only two Bartercard Cup matches are scheduled this weekend. No Vodafone Warriors first graders are due to be involved.

STATISTICS

• Interchange forward Wairangi Koopu is in line to put together a sequence of 50 consecutive NRL appearances. He lifts his total to 49 on Sunday. He started his run by playing the last eight matches in 2004, followed by all 24 in 2005 and this weekend’s game will be his 17th this season.
• Standoff Jerome Ropati and back rower Louis Anderson make their 50th first-grade appearances on Sunday. Ropati made his debut in late 2003, Anderson early in the 2004 season.
• Fullback Brent Webb and loose forward Sione Faumuina are close to making their 100th first-grade appearances. Webb plays his 98th match on Sunday and is on target to become the 11th player to appear in 100 first-grade matches for the club when the Vodafone Warriors play Penrith in round 21. Faumuina makes his 97th appearance on Sunday, his 86th for the club (he played 11 times for Canberra).
• Webb’s 37th try for the club in last weekend’s win against Penrith lifted to 202 first-grade points.
• Lance Hohaia needs two points and Faumuina needs four points to bring up 150 first-grade points.
• Tony Martin needs only four more points to become the third-highest individual points-scorer in a season for the club. He has 144 points. Ahead of him are Ivan Cleary who scored 242 points in 2002 and 173 in 2001 and Stacey Jones who notched 147 points in 2005.
• The Vodafone Warriors’ regular front rowers have scored a total of 21 of the club’s 70 tries so far this season – prop Ruben Wiki has five while fellow props Steve Price and Evarn Tuimavave have four along with hooker Nathan Fien. Interchange hooker Lance Hohaia has three tries and George Gatis, who played 10 straight matches earlier in the season, has one.
• The regular outside backs have 29 tries between them – Brent Webb (9), Tony Martin (6), Simon Mannering (6), Manu Vatuvei (6) and Patrick Ah Van (2).
• The Vodafone Warriors are seeking their first win over the Bulldogs since winning 48-22 at Sydney Showground in 2003.
• Sunday’s match will be the first time the two sides have met in Sydney since that match in 2003.
• Last weekend the Vodafone Warriors beat Penith for the first time since 2001.
• The win gave the club its first run of four straight wins since beating Brisbane (22-14), the Roosters (26-24), Wests Tigers (32-16) and the Bulldogs (48-22) in 2003. They went on to extend the run to five wins with a 17-16 victory against Canberra. In their four wins in the past month, the Vodafone Warriors have scored a total of 146 points and conceded 52.
• Seven players are set to extend their run of appearing in all of the club’s NRL matches this season. Sunday’s match will be the 17h on end for Brent Webb, Tony Martin, Grant Rovelli, Nathan Fien, Wairangi Koopu, Evarn Tuimavave and Micheal Luck.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS V BULLDOGS

• Overall: Played 20, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 10
• At Telstra Stadium: Played 2, Won 0, Drawn 1, Lost 1
• Biggest win: 34-8 at Ericsson Stadium, 2001
• Most recent win: 48-22, Sydney Showground, 2003

 

[warriors4life_old]

Koopu has developed into one of our most consistent performers, good on him.

 

[warriorfaithful*_old]

Koopu has developed into one of our most consistent performers, good on him.

Yeah agree

 

[elloco bandido_old]

always gives everything...

 

[Skinny_Ravs82]

He's certainly devloped well over the years

 

[Jesbass_old]

Vodafone Warriors forward Wairangi Koopu is eyeing his 50th consecutive first-grade appearance.

Sunday's clash against the Bulldogs will be the 26-year-old's 49th straight match in a sequence stretching back to 2004.

He played the last eight matches that season, followed by all 24 in 2005 and he has been ever-present in the first 16 matches this year.

That leaves him in line to reach the half century in Saturday week's home match against Parramatta.

Ahh, the life of the statistician!

 

[warriors4life_old]

Vodafone Warriors forward Wairangi Koopu is eyeing his 50th consecutive first-grade appearance.

Sunday's clash against the Bulldogs will be the 26-year-old's 49th straight match in a sequence stretching back to 2004.

He played the last eight matches that season, followed by all 24 in 2005 and he has been ever-present in the first 16 matches this year.

That leaves him in line to reach the half century in Saturday week's home match against Parramatta.

Ahh, the life of the statistician!

It's a tough road...

 

[sebastian_old]

Durable Koopu to hit notable half-century
14 July 2006
By ROBERT LOWE

Tell Wairangi Koopu that he will notch up a notable personal milestone in the National Rugby League in Auckland tomorrow night and the news comes as a surprise to the durable second rower.

When the New Zealand Warriors run out to face Parramatta at Mt Smart Stadium, Koopu will make his 50th first-grade appearance in a row, a streak dating back to two years ago this week.

The feat is particularly impressive given that the three-test Kiwi operates in the forwards and is also often on the field for the full 80 minutes.

"I'm really surprised by that," he said of the half-century.

"I guess I've been very lucky with injuries and my body has held together well. I like to keep in shape and try to have to see the physio as little as possible."

Koopu, 26, made his debut for the Warriors in early 1999 and has racked up 133 games for the club.

His durability was again in evidence in the golden point defeat to the Bulldogs last weekend.

He played all but nine minutes of an intense 83-minute encounter and his tally of 24 tackles was the second highest among the Warriors.

Koopu, who is also among the season's top dozen off-loaders in the NRL, said the Warriors had got over the huge disappointment of the 22-18 loss to the Bulldogs.

They now wanted a strong effort against Parramatta to head into their second bye of the season with a win behind them.

"We went through the video and there wasn't a lot we did wrong against the Bulldogs," he said.

"The mood at the moment is great. This is the last game before the bye and we want to put on a big show."

Koopu also hoped for some traditional mid-winter weather to unsettle the Eels, who have shown some good form of late in a season blighted by off-field dramas, winning three on the trot.

However, they will face the Warriors without halfback Tim Smith, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Newcastle last weekend.

As well, their propping stocks are running low, with Michael Vella, Justin Tsoulos and Auckland-born Aaron Cannings all on the casualty list.

But Koopu said the Eels were obviously pulling things around under replacement coach Jason Taylor, who took over from the long-serving Brian Smith two months ago.

"Their senior players are standing up and they've got young guys coming through that have nothing to lose," he said.

"They're loving it and enjoying themselves. It's going to be real tough. I hope it's going to be cold and wet."

Both sides are outside the top eight, and the losers can probably wave goodbye to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Saturday night is starting to become a regular feature of the Warriors' season.

They have had eight matches in that slot so far this year, winning all three at home.

Their next four fixtures, three of them at Mt Smart, will also be at the same time, a schedule coach Ivan Cleary was more than happy with.

Despite the Warriors' small crowd numbers, there was always a good atmosphere on a Saturday night, he said.

"As a player, I really liked Saturday nights and I think the boys do, too," he said.

"Hopefully the fans will come out and have a look."

 

[JonB_old]

An incredible feat. Good job Mr Koopu.

 

[sebastian_old]

A few of us have said that Koopu is a unsung hero & this just proves it, 50 games in a row is not as easy as it sounds, no suspentions, innjurys, not even being sick has stopped him. No wonder he's been talked up about being a future captain. This is one man that deserves to be captain, puts his body on the line every week & never gets the praise that others get. Congrats to Koopu & i hope the boys can give this man the celebration he deserves.

 

[Skinny_Ravs82]

Well done to the guy! He dserves any reconigtion that he gets. Make sure you all give him a big cheer tomorrow night! I know I will be (even thou I'll be infront of the tv, and the rest of my family members will be wondering what I'm on about! lmao).