Aaron Hopa

Aaron Remana Hopa (13 November 1971 – 8 December 1998) was a New Zealand international rugby union player whose career was cut short when he died in a diving accident at sea.

Aaron Hopa

Date of birth	(1971-11-13)13 November 1971
Place of birth	Hamilton
Date of death	8 December 1998(1998-12-08) (aged 27)
Place of death	Sea, off Coromandel Peninsula
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	98 kg (216 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loose forward Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1995-1998 Waikato () 1997-1998 Chiefs () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1997 New Zealand 4 (5)

Early life

Hopa was born in 1971 in Hamilton, Waikato, a province of New Zealand's north island.

Career

He was an All Black in 1997 and played four matches on that year's tour of Britain and Ireland.^[1] He played for Waikato at provincial level including the Ranfurly Shield winning team in 1997 and he also played for the Chiefs in the Super 12. Hopa was outstanding in his position of loose forward.

Death

In 1998, Hopa drowned in an accident while on a diving expedition near Slipper Island, off the Coromandel Peninsula coast of Waikato.^[1] He was 27.