Jackson Hemopo

Jackson Nikora Hemopo (born 14 November 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player who played as a lock or loose forward for Manawatu in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition. He was called into New Zealand's international rugby team, the All Blacks, in 2018 and played three tests that year. Hemopo signed a one-year deal with Japan-based club Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars at the start of 2019, with the deal becoming effective from the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Born in Whanganui in New Zealand's Manawatū-Whanganui region, Hemopo was educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School, in Palmerston North, the biggest town in his home region. Of Māori descent, Hemopo affiliates to the Tuhourangi, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, and Ngāti Wahiao iwi. He played first XV rugby while at school and after graduating headed south to Dunedin where he began playing for the Green Island rugby club in Otago's Premier club rugby competition. He had one season with the Southern club before transferring back to Green Island and winning the Dunedin club player of the year award in 2016. Hemopo first made the Otago squad ahead of the 2014 ITM Cup and went on to play all 10 of their games during what proved to be a difficult year, with an inexperienced side finishing 6th on the Championship log, comfortably outside the playoff places. The Razorbacks were in better form in 2015, ending up 3rd in the championship table before being comprehensively defeated by Wellington in the semi-finals. Hemopo managed just 6 appearances and 1 try in his second campaign of domestic rugby in Dunedin.