Nepo Laulala

Born in Samoa, Laulala is a former student of Wesley College, south of Auckland. He earned his first call up for the All Blacks in 2015 but missed out on making the squad to the Rugby World Cup (RWC) that year. However, he did make it into the 2019 All Blacks team which finished third at the RWC that year.

After making his super rugby debut for the Crusaders in 2013 and a move to the Chiefs in 2016, Laulala made a shift to the Blues in 2021 till now. The 100th cap milestone is a true testament to the 31 year olds hard work over the years.

The move didn’t go to plan, however, with Laulala suffering a horrific knee injury that kept him off the park for the entire season.

Heading into his first season with the Blues, Laulala will be hopeful that no such fate befalls him ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Hurricanes in Wellington.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had quite a few season-ending injuries, and I wasn’t able to pick up the games I probably should have,” Laulala said in the build-up to the opening weekend of Super Rugby Aotearoa.