Born: February 29, 1980 - Stratford
Test record: 22 Tests (2001-07) - 11 tries (44 points)
Tours: 2002 tour of Britain and France, 2004 Tri Nations, 2005 Tri Nations, 2007 tour of Britain and France
Touted as arguably the world's best centre during his early-2000s peak with the high-flying Warriors, Clinton Toopi played 22 Tests for New Zealand and boasts the rare distinction of twice scoring a hat-trick against Australia.
Taranaki-born Toopi gained his rugby league grounding in Auckland with Mt Wellington and Ōtāhuhu. The 19-year-old played two NRL games off the bench for the Warriors in 1999 and scored tries in both of Junior Kiwis' losses to Junior Kangaroos.
Though he added just four top-grade appearances (all at fullback) for the Warriors in 2000, Toopi was selected in Aotearoa Māori's World Cup squad and played all three matches at fullback - scoring a double in their 17-16 win over Scotland.
Toopi enjoyed a breakout year in 2001, cementing a centre spot and scoring 11 tries in 24 games as the Warriors reached the finals for the first time. He made his Test debut at centre in a 36-0 mid-season win over France before playing on the wing in the Kiwis' loss to the Kangaroos in Wellington.
Elusive, instinctive and strong, he was one of the stars of the Warriors' charge to the minor premiership and a historic grand final appearance. He scored a team-high 18 tries - including a vital, brilliant 50-metre solo effort in the preliminary final against Cronulla, before featuring in the gallant loss to Sydney Roosters in the decider.
Toopi scored a try in New Zealand's spirited 32-24 loss to Australia a week after the grand final and played in the first two Tests against Great Britain.
Equally brilliant in 2003, Toopi scored 17 tries in just 22 games as the Warriors reached the preliminary final stage. He buried the disappointment of the Kiwis' 48-6 mid-season loss to the Kangaroos in Sydney by scoring a sensational hat-trick in a shock 30-16 defeat of the green-and-golds at North Harbour at the end of the year.
Hampered by injuries in 2004 - a disastrous drop-off year for the Warriors - Toopi still managed to play in the Anzac Test loss in Newcastle, while he scored two tries in a narrow win over France in between twin Tri Nations losses to Great Britain.
The 25-year-old missed just one NRL game in 2005 and played in six of New Zealand's seven Test matches. He scored another treble of tries as the Kiwis kicked off the Tri Nations with a stunning 38-28 win over the Kangaroos in Sydney, while he bagged a double in a crucial 42-26 defeat of Great Britain in London and starred in the euphoric 24-0 shutout of Australia in the Leeds final.
Toopi played centre in the 2006 Anzac Test then, in between leaving the Warriors (who he finished with 129 games and 57 tries for) mid-season for Leeds Rhinos, lined up at fullback in a Super League-centric New Zealand side that went down 46-14 to Great Britain. He played in the All Golds' exhibition match win over Northern Union at the end of 2007 and played in the last two Tests of the struggling Kiwis' series against Great Britain, as well as the one-off clash with France.
He won a Super League grand final with Leeds in 2007 and played in the Rhinos' World Club Challenge victory over Melbourne in early-2008, but a knee reconstruction caused him to miss the club's drive to a second straight Super League crown.
Toopi returned to New Zealand and switched to rugby union, earning a spot in Bay of Plenty's 2009 NPC squad before being sidelined by injury.
Grabbing an opportunity with Gold Coast Titans in 2010, the veteran helped the club to a maiden preliminary final appearance that year by scoring a try in a qualifying final victory over the Warriors. He captained New Zealand Māori in an 18-all draw with Great Britain in late-2010 and hung up the boots after another season with the Titans in 2011.