Brian Lima


Brian Pala Lima is a Samoan former rugby union player who was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.
He earned the nickname of "The Chiropractor" for his shuddering hits both on and off the pitch that supposedly rearranged the bones of the victim.

National team

Lima was born in Apia, Samoa. He debuted for the Samoa national rugby union team in 1990. He featured in Samoa's famous World Cup win over Wales in 1991, and he was the youngest player at the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
One of 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..
Lima 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. According to the Samoa Observer, Lima announced that he would retire after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Michael Jones, the Samoa coach, 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.
Lima also played for the Samoa national rugby sevens team. He scored 17 tries in various Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments, ranking him third all-time in career World Cup Sevens tries.

Professional

Lima signed for Munster after an 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 2005–06 season.