Lee-Lo in action

By Andrew Collins
January 8 2015

Mark Hammett announces the signing of the 28 year old Samoan centre, who will arrive in Wales on a long term deal in July.

Lee-Lo becomes the second signing ahead of next season, following returning Blue Tom James, and marks the next phase in Hammett’s hopeful revolution at the Cardiff Arms Park.

By now you will have already read comments from both player and coach, who will team up for the second time following the pair’s stint together at Super 14 side the Hurricanes.

So what don’t you already know about the new arrival?

Well, at 5ft 11 and 15 ½ stone he’s not the biggest Samoan, however his footwork and quick acceleration make him more of a footballer than a crash ball centre and that is why he’s wanted by the Kiwi coach.

He came to pro rugby late – his debut for the Southern Auckland based Counties Manukau wasn’t until 2009 aged 23 where he was picked up by the Chiefs Development squad in 2011. However, despite being on their books for 2 years, during which time he helped Counties win their first ever Ranfurly Shield (ITM Cup) in 2003, he never made an appearance for the Super Rugby side; instead, he signed a 1 year deal with the Hurricanes in 2013, where he first teamed up with Hammett.

He impressed sufficiently in his debut season to earn a 2 year deal with the Crusaders in 2014, but it proved to be an ill-fated move. He played just 5 games and, according to New Zealand sports magazine Rugby Heaven, “struggled to make an impact for the side”. Lee-Lo cited family reasons were why he parted company with Crusaders, as he agreed to cancel the final year of his contract and return to the Hurricanes for the 2015 season.

 His return to the ITM cup, late 2014, saw an upturn in form and though Counties were ultimately unable to defend their title, Lee-Lo was described as, “at his devastating best during the side's record-breaking win against Wellington” (55-7) on 27^th September.

As for international rugby, his 2 caps for Samoa may come as a surprise, given his credentials, however he only confirmed his commitment to Samoa in October last year, having previously set himself the ambitious target of playing for New Zealand. He now has his sights set on the 2015 World Cup with his home country and is expected to make the squad.

And finally, here’s some quick fire facts about Lee-lo:

He cites his inspiration as Tana Umaga, his coach at Counties Manukau;

He was knocked out cold in the semi-finals of the ITM cup, trying to make a try saving tackle. His team did defend the try, with Lee-Lo out on the deck;

He described his try scoring celebration as a ‘head spin’;

And perhaps my personal favourite, he has neither Twitter nor Facebook!