Afato So'oalo

Afato So'oalo
Date of birth	5 January 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Apia, Samoa
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	193 lb (88 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Wing
Senior career
Years	Team
1994-1997; 1997	Marist St. Joseph; Linwood
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
1997–2001	Canterbury
Super Rugby
Years	Team
1997–2001	Canterbury Crusaders
International career
Years	Team
1996–2001	Samoa

Afato So'oalo (born 5 January 1974, in Apia) is a former Samoan rugby union player. He played for the Manu Samoa team and also played for the Crusaders and for Aviron Bayonnais in France. He played as a winger.

Career

A devastating runner, So'oalo debuted for Samoa during a match against Ireland, at Lansdowne Road, on 12 November 1996, where he scored one of the most memorable tries in recent history when completing a 70-yard move with his first touch.^[1] He was part of the 1999 Rugby World Cup roster, playing two matches, where he scored a try against Japan. His last international cap was also against Ireland, at Lansdowne Road, on 11 November 2001.^{[citation needed]}

He was a regular member of the Crusaders from 1997 to 2001 and played on the right wing. So’oalo excelled in the No.14 jersey, and in a memorable moment in the 1999 Super Rugby final scored a match winning try against the Highlanders, by out sprinting Jeff Wilson to score in the corner, and win the game for the Crusaders.^{[citation needed]}