Samoa play-maker Lima Sopoaga has launched an appeal for the safe return of the kicking tee that he has used since he was 14 years old.
Sopoaga, a former All Black and Super Rugby winner with the Highlanders in 2015, kicked a late conversion for Samoa as they dispatched Chile 43-10 in Bordeaux early this morning.
However, when Sopoaga went to retrieve the tee after the game, it was nowhere to be found.
That prompted the 32-year-old to take to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to asks fans to return it to him.
In a further post, Sopoaga said that he had left the tee alongside his eye drops, but when he went to collect the items the eye drops were still there but the tee was gone.
Sopoaga played 92 times for the Highlanders between 2011-2018 and was a noted goalkicker during his time in Dunedin.
He was successful with 166 conversions and 147 penalties for the Highlanders, and scored 863 points in total for the Highlanders.
The kicking tee has become a familiar and trusted part of Sopoaga’s kicking routine and explains his desperation to get it back.
Sopoaga started on the bench against Chile, with Christian Leali’ifano wearing the No 10 jersey.
However, Sopoaga still has a key role to play for Samoa in a tough group that also features England, Argentina and Japan.
Samoa’s next game is against Argentina at 3.45am next Saturday.
That encounter is already shaping up to be a crucial game in the race to qualify from Pool D.
Argentina lost their opening fixture against England last weekend and will be desperate for the win to get their campaign on track.
However, if Samoa topple the South Americans they will be well-placed to progress to the quarterfinals and the return of Sopoaga’s kicking tee could help them to achieve that goal.
Source: Stuff.co
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