Someone steals Samoa fly-half Lima Sopoaga's World Cup goal-kicking tee

September 17, 2023 05:32 PM

Samoa fly-half Lima Sopoaga said on Sunday he was still looking for his decade-old kicking tee after this weekend's 43-10 Rugby World Cup win over Chile.

Ex-New Zealand playmaker Sopoaga, 32, confirmed to AFP the item was still lost after taking to social media following Saturday's victory in Bordeaux, where he used it to slot a late conversion.

"Could whoever took my goal-kicking tee from the field please give it back to me," Sopoaga posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"I'll even pay you for it. I've had it since I was 14 years old," he added.

The former Highlanders and Lyon outside-half has received support from the sport's governing body.

"Let's #FindTheTee," World Rugby's chief communications officer Dominic Rumbles said on the same platform on Sunday.

"We will provide some #RWC2023 merch for the safe return of Lima's tee," he added.

Sopoaga is benefitting from a rule change by World Rugby allowing him to feature for Samoa after a stand-down period following the last of his 16 All Blacks appearances in 2017.

The Pacific Islanders' next game is against Argentina on Friday in Saint-Etienne before also facing Japan and England in Pool D.