Name Iva Ropati | ||
Iva Lewis Ropati is a former rugby league international player and High School Principal.
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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. 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 Centre, i.e. number 3, and scored a try in Featherstone Rovers' 14-20 defeat by Bradford Northern in the 1989 Yorkshire Cup final during the 1989–90 season at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on Sunday 5 November 1989. He scored 30 tries for Sheffield in the 1991–92 season, 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. As an import player, he represented Taranaki in the 1998 National Provincial Competition.
Representative career
In 1993 Ropati was selected for the New Zealand Kiwis 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.
Family
His family is famous in rugby league circles and includes brothers Joe, Peter, Tea and Romi.