Brian Lima

Brian Lima

Full name	Brian Pala Lima
Date of birth	(1972-01-25) 25 January 1972
Place of birth	Apia, Samoa
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	95 kg (14 st 13 lb)
School	St Joseph’s College St. Patricks College
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Wing, Centre
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1996–98 1999–01 2001–02 2003–04 2005 2005–07	Marist St. Joseph's Ponsonby Marist St. Joseph's Auckland Stade Français Swansea Secom Rugguts Munster Bristol	12 7 0 23	(5) (0) (0) (25)
Super Rugby
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1996 1997–98 1999	Highlanders Blues Highlanders	11 12 13	(30) (35) (35)
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1990–07 2004	Samoa Pacific Islanders	64 2	(140) (0)
Sevens national teams
Years	Club / team		Comps
	Samoa

Brian Lima (born 25 January 1972 in Apia, Samoa) is a former Samoan rugby union footballer who was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.

He earned the memorable nickname of "The Chiropractor" for his shuddering hits both on and off the pitch that supposedly rearranged the bones of the victim.

Career

Lima made his debut for Manu Samoa back in 1990 and featured in the famous World Cup win over Wales in 1991. He was the youngest player at the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

One of Brian Lima's most illuminating moments came in Samoa's match against South Africa in a group match at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. As Springbok fly-half Derick Hougaard leapt up in the air to catch a hospital pass, Lima "dive-tackled" him, sending Hougaard crashing to the ground.[1].

He signed for Munster after an extremely impressive game for the southern hemisphere vs the northern hemisphere in a fundraising game for the 2004 tsunami. However Lima was injured shortly after landing in Ireland and never got to pull on the Munster jersey. He has also played for the Blues, Auckland, the Highlanders, and Secom in Japan. He signed a two-year deal with Bristol starting in the 2005–6 season.

He was the first player to appear in five World Cups, his fifth being the 2007 World Cup in France, in which he came on against South Africa in Samoa's first game after 60 minutes. Italy's Mauro Bergamasco reached the same goal in 2015.

According to the Samoa Observer, Lima announced that he would retire after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Michael Jones, the Manu Samoa coach (at that time), announced Lima as the captain for the first game of that year's Pacific Nations Cup. Brian Lima was selected to lead Samoa against Fiji. This game was one of Brian's last games on Samoan soil.

External links

• Bio in DC
• Manu Samoa supporters website
• Pacific Islanders Rugby Teams supporters website