Lima
Known for his hard-hitting tackles, Brian Lima is one of the best centres to ever play the game.
Brian Lima Bio
Known as ‘the chiropractor’, Brian Lima was renowned for his hard-hitting tackles and fierce competitive spirit. Brian Lima was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born in Samoa on 25 January 1972, Brian Lima made his debut for the Samoan national team in 1990. A year later, he was the youngest player at the 1991 Rugby World Cup and he starred as the Samoan team completed a famous victory over Wales.
Throughout his international career, Brian Lima featured in five Rugby World Cup tournaments. In total, he played 64 games for Samoa between 1990 and 2007. In addition, he also played for the Samoan Rugby Sevens side regularly and scored 17 tries for the team.
After bursting onto the international stage in 1991, Brian Lima caught the attention of many of the world’s top sides. As a result, he played domestic rugby all over the globe, including in Japan, where he represented Secom Rugguts. In the southern hemisphere, he also played Super Rugby for the Highlanders and the Blues, and played his provincial rugby with Auckland.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Brian Lima represented elite sides such as Stade Français, Swansea and Bristol. During this phase of his career, he also signed to represent Munster, but he never pulled on the team’s jersey because he picked up an injury shortly after landing in Ireland.
Brian Lima retired from rugby in 2007 and embarked on a career in coaching. However, while he was the head coach of the Samoan national team, he was accused of assaulting his ex-wife and he resigned before he was found guilty of five charges. He avoided prison for the incident and was appointed head coach of the Samoan Rugby Sevens team in 2020.
