Shaun Johnson

In the Rugby League World Cup Semi Finals on 24 November against England at Wembley Stadium, after the game was locked-up at 8-all at halftime and England lead 18–14, with seconds to go in the game, Johnson scored the final try of the game in the 80th minute, stepping and sliding through a hole to level the score at 18-all and then converting his own try to seal the win and to cement the Kiwis' place in the World Cup final.

Following the Kiwis 34–2 World Cup Final loss to Australia at Old Trafford, Johnson finished the tournament as the top points-scorer with 76 points (4 tries and 30 goals).

Shaun Johnson (born 9 September 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Johns was referring to the first time he saw Stacey Jones play, which was in 1995, when Stacey was a junior.

Johnson played for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders in the Auckland Rugby League competition before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors in 2009.

Johnson started his professional career playing for the Junior Warriors in the Toyota Cup.

In March 2009, league great Andrew Johns commented: "I haven't been this excited about a player in a long time."

Johnson spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Junior Warriors and played 45 matches, scoring 25 tries, 159 goals and 4 field goals to finish his Toyota Cup career with 422 points.

Johnson made his NSW Cup debut for the Auckland Vulcans in 2010 and also represented the Junior Kiwis that year.

His final Toyota Cup match was being part of the Junior Warriors winning the 2010 Grand Final.

After suffering an injury in the pre-season, Johnson spent the start of the 2011 season with the Auckland Vulcans before making his National Rugby League debut in Round 13 against the Sydney Roosters due to an injury to Brett Seymour.

In his next match in Round 14 against the Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium, Johnson scored his first NRL try in the Warriors 26–22 loss.

In Round 22 against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, Johnson scored an outstanding 70-metre solo try in the Warriors 20–21 loss.

In the 2011 Preliminary Final against the Melbourne Storm, Johnson set up a mesmerising try for Lewis Brown to seal the game in the 76th minute to beat the Storm 20–12 at AAMI Park, The Warriors made it to the Grand Final, playing the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

The Warriors lost to the Sea Eagles 24–10 in the 2011 NRL Grand Final however Johnson played a tremendous game and almost sparked a surprise comeback with a role in both tries and a few outstanding runs.

Johnson finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing 16 matches and scoring 6 tries for the Warriors in the 2011 NRL season.

Johnson was named in the New Zealand national rugby league team squad for the 2011 Four Nations but withdrew with an injury.

On 27 November 2011, Johnson re-signed with the Warriors until the end of the 2014 season.

Due to Kieran Foran's hamstring injury, Johnson was selected as for the New Zealand national team in the 2012 Anzac Test.

In his debut test match Johnson scored an 80-metre intercept try at Eden Park in the Kiwis 20–12 loss.

Along with Konrad Hurrell and Manu Vatuvei, Johnson was the 2012 New Zealand Warriors season top try-scorer with 12 in 22 matches.

Johnson also received the Rugby League International Federation's Rookie of the Year award for 2012.

He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks as a in the NRL and has played for the New Zealand Kiwis at international level and representative level for the NRL All Stars in 2013.

On 13 February 2013, Johnson was chosen to play in the 2013 All Stars match for the NRL All Stars team, playing off the interchange bench in the 32–6 loss to the Indigenous All Stars at Suncorp Stadium.

For the 2013 Anzac Test, Johnson was selected to play halfback for New Zealand, kicking two goals from two attempts in their 32–12 loss against Australia at Canberra Stadium.

In Round 14 against the Sydney Roosters, Johnson chased down Michael Jennings after the latter picked up a loose ball and sprinted toward an undefended try line, Warriors later won the match 23–12 at SFS.

Johnson played in all the Warriors' 24 matches and scored 10 tries in the 2013 NRL season.

Following the end of the season, Johnson was selected in New Zealand 2013 Rugby League World Cup squad.

In 2014 Johnson won the Golden Boot Award for the world's best player.

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest New Zealand rugby league footballers of all time, often compared to Benji Marshall and Stacey Jones.

Johnson was born in Auckland, New Zealand, his mother is Laotian and his father is a New Zealander.

From the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Johnson attended Whangaparaoa Primary School, as well as Orewa College, and played many sports, including basketball, rugby union and Australian rules football (representing New Zealand at Under 16 level), but made his name playing touch and Rugby League.

He represented New Zealand in both touch and Rugby League and played rugby union in his school's First XV.

In February 2014, Johnson played in the Warriors inaugural NRL Auckland Nines squad and was the tournament's top point scorer with 40 points.

He was named the tournament's most valuable player.

He was selected for New Zealand in the 2014 Anzac Test against Australia at halfback and kicked 3 goals in the Kiwis 30–18 loss at the SFS.

By the end of the Warriors 2014 NRL season he had played in 21 matches, scoring 9 tries, kicking 63 goals and a field goal.

On 7 October 2014, Johnson was selected in New Zealand's 2014 Four Nations squad.

On 15 November 2014, Johnson was instrumental in leading the Kiwi side to a 22–18 victory in the 2014 Four Nations final against Australia.

On 9 February 2015, Johnson re-signed with the Warriors on a 3-year contract to the end of the 2017 season.