Ropati's junior club was the
Marist Saints and he played for the
Marist Richmond Brothers in the
Bartercard Cup. In 2002 Ropati was named captain of the
Junior Kiwis squad which played two games against touring Australian sides.
Warriors He made his
first grade debut for the Warriors in round 25 of the 2003 season against the
Sydney Roosters. When not selected for the first grade side, Ropati represented the
Auckland Lions in both the
Bartercard Cup and
NSWRL Premier League. He was one of four players who played in every game for the Warriors in 2007. He made his debut for the
New Zealand national rugby league team in 2005 against
Australia and was involved in the
2006 Tri Nations. He was a member of the 2008 World Cup winning Kiwis team, that defeated Australia in the Final, with Ropati scoring a try in the match. In 2009 he extended his Warriors career until the 2012 season, becoming a 10-year Warrior. His 2011 season was ruined by injury as he tore his
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in round 3. He retired during the 2014 season, following another injury. ==Later years==