Naomi Sopoaga has a chance encounter to thank for the push she needed.
The then-professional basketballer was minding her own business when someone came up to her during Orientation Week and invited her to a Dunedin club rugby training session at Shark Park.
It was the catalyst for her to swap the round ball for an oval one and continue an already impressive sporting career.
"I just absolutely loved it and the people were so good to me," Sopoaga said.
"It was the sense of community that really brought everything together.
"I was kind of losing a bit of the passion for basketball, so rugby’s always been for the love of the game and to find a sense of joy.
"Everything’s just snowballed from there."
Rugby was not a sport that was foreign to her family. Her mother, Vaseti Sopoaga (nee Piho) — who grew up in Dunedin and went to Queen’s High School — paved the way, playing for the Otago Spirit in 1995.
Dunedin has become a big part of the Sopoaga family story, with her five older siblings previously spending time in the city.
Sopoaga’s eldest brother, former All Blacks first five Lima, became a hero during his tenure with the Highlanders from 2011-2018, including winning the Super Rugby title in 2015.
Sister Te Araroa also stamped her mark in Dunedin on the basketball court, representing the Otago Goldrush.
"All five of them have been down here. To be back where everyone’s kind of been, and be in a place that’s somewhat familiar as well, is really special," Sopoaga said.
Lima has returned to New Zealand this year, suiting up for Waikato, and has become something of a game-winning specialist.
He came off the bench to score the winning try in their opener and kicked a last-minute penalty to win the Ranfurly Shield last week.
"My family group chat was going off and I was like ‘oh great, now I’m going to have to match his game-winners now’," Sopoaga said.
Sopoaga, 20, is forging an impressive path of her own, scoring four tries for the Otago Spirit in their opening three Farah Palmer Cup games.
But it is nice to have her eldest sibling to lean on.
"Now that I’m kind of entering the rugby space, it’s nice to know that I can confide in him.
"The journey that he’s been on, it hasn’t always been pretty and that’s kind of something he reminds me of.
"It’s not a journey that everyone goes for, but the reward is there for those who are willing to take it."
Family has taken Sopoaga around the world.
During her break at the end of year 12, Sopoaga headed to France to help her sister-in-law, and her three nieces, settle into their life in Lyon, where Lima was already based.
It was a chance for the siblings to make up for lost time, considering when Lima moved to Dunedin at 18, his sister was only 4.
"It was quite full circle to be able to live with him."
What was only meant to be a short stint in France turned into a two-year adventure after the borders closed due to Covid.
Growing up, Sopoaga was a representative basketball player in Wellington, so her brother networked to land her a spot at the Tony Parker Academy, run by the former French NBA player.
They invited her to play until she could return home, but they soon recognised her talent and offered her a spot with Asvel Feminin, a professional women’s team.
She jumped at the chance to play a season in France and finish her schooling online.
"The really cool thing about basketball is it’s a universal language, so even though I couldn’t speak French, or converse with my team-mates, or my coaches, I could do it through the art of basketball.
"The French people, they’re not so forgiving if you don’t know French, but once you get to know them, and embrace their culture, they’re very generous with their love and very generous with their care.
"It’s honestly an experience that I will always hold very close to my heart."
But since picking up a rugby ball, Sopoaga has never looked back.
While she admits she is a "late bloomer" in rugby, that has not stood in her way.
She made her mark for Dunedin in her inaugural club season, which led to her Spirit call-up in 2024.
That sparked interest from outside the region; Matatu coach Whitney Hansen invited Sopoaga to be part of the Super Rugby Aupiki side’s wider training squad.
After being called in earlier this year, Sopoaga believed she was just training with the team ahead of their clash against the Blues in Nelson in March.
Looking at the starting list, she was elated to see Spirit team-mate Tegan Hollows named for her debut and was overwhelmed when she noticed her own name down at No 22.
"It was such a privilege and pretty surreal," Sopoaga said.
"The timing was just crazy — my parents were in Nelson that weekend."
Sopoaga, who is in her second year of a double degree in law and Pacific studies, is relishing her second season with the Spirit, who are unbeaten in the Championship so far.
Players were given the licence to be innovative and play wide, which they had executed perfectly under coach Matt Direen.
"The team culture is something that has really stamped a mark for me.
"When you get along with your team-mates, and you get the green light to play fun rugby, it’s a recipe for fun.
"Our coach, he always emphasises finding the joy in the game and that’s something that I really resonate with, because that’s the reason I started rugby — for the joy of it."
That translated on the field after the Spirit thumped Northland, who were relegated from the Premiership. Sopoaga would love nothing more than to push the Spirit’s case for the top tier.
"It’s nice to be able to match up with teams who have been where we want to be.
"It also gives us good confidence heading into the back end of the season knowing that we are able to take down harder teams."
But her roots at the Spirit are woven in further than just herself, starting with her mother leading the way.
Her aunts, Maherau Arona (nee Piho) and Hakimata Piho, also played in the first Otago teams in the early 1990s.
"I never started playing rugby last year [just] because they were part of the Spirit.
"But to be able to play Spirit, and have that legacy that they’ve created . . . it’s such a privilege to be a a part of, but also to reap the rewards of the seeds that they’ve sown."
