Willie Ripia (born 20 August 1985) is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player. He plays as a

first five-eighth In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

. He was born in

Murupara Murupara is a town located in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is situated in an isolated part of the region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera protected area, on the banks of th ...

, New Zealand. Ripia attended Rotorua Boys' High School. Ripia started his Super 14 career at the Highlanders before moving to the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. He also played for Taranaki in the NPC. Ripia has played for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at U-19 and U-21 levels, and also for New Zealand Maori. In August 2010 he declared his intention to play for Australia when he qualifies on residency. He signed a 2-year contract at the Western Force, but resigned in January 2012 following a serious breach of protocol. Ripia currently plays as a first five-eighth for the Bay of Plenty Steamers in the ITM Cup

Domestic career

Ripia made his

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

debut in 2005, but playing behind a logjam of backline talent, in particular Stephen Donald at flyhalf, and an injury setback early in his second year after he ruptured his Achilles tendon playing against

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

early in 2006, demanding a lengthy rehabilitation period. Ripia started his Super Rugby career with the Highlanders after he was called into the squad in 2006 as an injury replacement to Nick Evans, making one appearance off the bench against the

Western Force The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. F ...

. Ripia moved to

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

at the end of the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup with the promise of more regular game time at

than was on offer at

. In 2008 Ripia came to the

as a franchise player for

. Starting the season on the reserves, he broke into the Hurricanes starting fifteen against the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

in round twelve, finishing the last four games of the season including the 2008 semi-final against the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

wearing the No. 10 jersey. He impressed again in 2009 with a series of reliable performances throughout the second half of the competition, also scoring 80 points and kicking at almost 75 percent. Ripia surpassed 150 Super 14 points in his third season in the Hurricanes in 2010. He then went on and signed a 2-year contract at the Western Force, but resigned in January 2012. He was recruited by the Force in 2010 as a foreign development player, which meant he could eventually qualify for Australia. He missed much of last season with foot and calf injuries but played a solid role in the team's surge near the end of their 2011 campaign. He was subsequently released early from the Force for a misdemeanour, making a tentative return to top-class rugby for the 2012 Bay of Plenty Development XV. Ripia signed for the Bay of Plenty Steamers for the ITM Cup 2013 season.

Personal life

According to the Sydney Morning Herald and other news sources, it was alleged by Western Force officials that Ripia had stolen money from other players at the club's facilities. Ripia initially denied any involvement, but resigned after being shown CCTV footage of the changing rooms. It was subsequently reported that Ripia had returned to New Zealand and was seeking treatment for

problem gambling Problem gambling or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to ''DSM-5'' if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is ...

References

External links

Hurricanes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ripia, Willie 1985 births Living people Hurricanes (rugby union) players Highlanders (rugby union) players Western Force players Waikato rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Bay of Plenty rugby union players Wellington rugby union players New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves Māori All Blacks players People educated at Rotorua Boys' High School New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate rugby union players in Australia People from Murupara Rugby union players from Whakatāne