Two years ago, Roderick Solo stood on the brink of his Olympic dream until a single sidestep — a movement he had made thousands of times before — changed everything.
“I just did a big jump step and the ACL was gone.”
In that instant, the rising star of New Zealand Sevens saw his hopes of representing his country at Paris 2024 collapse.
This week, after months of gruelling rehabilitation, setbacks, and soul-searching, Solo returns to the SVNS Series stage in Vancouver.
The Cruellest Timing
In June 2024, the All Blacks Sevens team were in France, fine-tuning preparations for Paris. They had claimed the 2023 SVNS Series title and were building momentum towards what many suspected would be a first Olympic gold. The wider squad were confident.
Then Solo’s knee gave way. The timing could not have been more painful.
“I had already done my labrum before that, and needed a reconstruction on my shoulder, but had got back into playing on the 2024 HSBC SVNS Series in LA and Vancouver. Then, it was over again.”
Two major surgeries in two years would test the mettle of any professional athlete.
From Wellington Prodigy to SVNS Sensation
Solo’s journey to the world stage began in Wellington. He was a standout athlete at Scots College and a product of the Oriental-Rongotai club, excelling in both athletics and rugby. He represented New Zealand Secondary Schools and was MVP at the 2019 Ignite7s tournament while still a schoolboy.
He was on the New Zealand Sevens radar but remained without a formal contract. Solo had just debuted for the Wellington Lions in the NPC, but his day job was as an apprentice working alongside his big brother at a construction firm.
During the Covid lockdown, encouraged by his agent, Solo sent a polite message to Clark Laidlaw, then the head coach of the New Zealand Sevens. He heard nothing, so tried calling – and was sent straight to voicemail. He then sent an email or two, and, having given it a good go, went back to work on the building site.
One Thursday afternoon, during work, his phone rang with an unknown number. On the other end was Laidlaw.
“Could you make it up tomorrow to the Mount [New Zealand Sevens’ training base at Mount Manganui]? Flights and accommodation are all covered. We’ve a Bronco fitness test on the weekend.”
Solo couldn’t believe it. But ‘tomorrow’ was a few hours away! He didn’t know if he could get time off work immediately, and asked if he could fly up on Monday.
“Clarky said that was fine — and the good thing,” Solo smiles, “is that I got out of having to do the Bronco!”
He trained relentlessly over the next two weeks. On the final day the squad gathered in a huddle, and Laidlaw asked the team to welcome their newest official member.
“That was my first professional contract. I was so stoked.”
Toulouse Breakthrough
When Solo burst onto the international sevens rugby scene in 2022, it didn’t take long for fans to notice his electric footwork and acceleration. That jump step became his signature, with defenders left grasping at air as Solo burst away.
But if there was one performance that confirmed hsi arrival on the global stage, it came in France in 2023 at the Toulouse Cup Final.
New Zealand trailed Argentina when Laidlaw introduced Solo off the bench in the second half. What followed was unforgettable.
With his first touch, he fended off Argentina’s World Player of the Year Marcos Moneta, a player who Solo looked up to, and scorched down the right wing to score. The match went to sudden-death extra time. Again, the ball found Solo’s wing.
“I was just like: I want the ball early! I want to have a go at Moneta again.”
Leroy Carter delivered the pass and Solo felt Moneta closing in.
“I was meant to try and jump for the corner, but I honestly just dived in and hoped for the best.”
He crossed the try line, stayed in the field of play. Golden point. Game over, title won. Solo remembers the “goosebumps, all over me”.
The victory was even sweeter because it coincided with Tim Mikkelsen’s 100th tournament appearance. Alongside legends like Mikkelsen, Solo, humble and gentle in manner, has special mention for other team-mates like Joe Weber, Regan Ware, Caleb Tangitau and Moses Leo, whom he credits for inspiring him.
“These are the guys that I look up to, they all played in my position when we won the World Series. They were the best players in the world, and I got to share the field with them.”
What the team weren’t told until after the Toulouse match was that they had already secured the 2023 Series title – Laidlaw had been keeping this from them to ensure as competitive a final game from his boys as possible. It became a double celebration — and Solo’s defining moment. A sevens rugby star was born – until that jump step a year later back in France brought it all crashing down.
The Long Road Back
Rehabilitation from such as serious an injury is as much mental as physical.
For Solo, who had already endured shoulder reconstruction, the challenge was immense. Niggles and set-backs were all part of the journey.
But he was not alone: he credits team physiotherapist Rachel Lambert and the tight-knit All Blacks Sevens environment for helping him through the darkest days.
“Our environment’s so small everyone knows each other, and is happy to be around each other. That’s what made my rehab more enjoyable.”
He found strength in family and teammates, off-shore fishing trips and diving. He sees his parents as the foundation of his success. And flatmates Aquila Rokolisoa, Kitiona Vai, and Frank Vaenuku provided daily camaraderie, support, and a shocker of a shared grocery bill.
“It’s a big food bill. We do smash some food, bro,” he laughs.
Beyond Rugby
Injury often forces perspective. At just 24, and having rebuilt his body twice, Solo has already begun planning life beyond the game, what he calls his Plan B.
While continuing to work at his building licence, he has also started pursuing an ambition of joining the New Zealand Police.
Inspired by his uncle Dennis, a police chief in Wellington, and mentored by former officer turned sports psychologist Iain Henderson, Solo sees policing as a natural extension of his values.
“I just enjoy helping people. Why not get into a trade where I can help people out and look out for the community? That’s the goal of mine one day.”
His sense of purpose is rooted in his upbringing. Solo moved from the Islands in Samoa to Wellington at the age of four, growing up in Miramar and Strathmore Park. The number 44 on his jersey is a nod to the area code and the bus route that runs through the suburb.
“It’s a place I hold close to my heart. It’s not a wealthy area, but we survived and got through it.”
LA 2028: The Ultimate Goal
The Paris Olympic disappointment still burns. Unlike the New Zealand women, the All Black Sevens men have never won Olympic gold, coming closest with a silver at the Covid-affected Tokyo Games, where they lost to Jerry Tuwai’s Fiji in a stonker of a final.
“That has to be the ultimate goal for us. My first goal is to make the Olympic team, and we are really going to have to knuckle down to try and get that Olympic title.”
Running Out in Vancouver
So, after two of the toughest years, Solo is back and ready to rock. What will he be thinking in that hard-earned moment when he charges out from the players tunnel once again?
“It’s all about the Black jersey. Just to be able to put that back on and embrace every moment – and to have fun. And remember everyone that’s helped me along the journey.”