Career
Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker. After the retirement of then Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina, Messam was named the team"s new co-captain from 2012 onwards, alongside Aaron Cruden. In October 2008, Messam was selected in the All Blacks end of year tour squad to tour Hong Kong and Europe.
He played one test against Scotland and one match against Munster.
He subsequently appeared several more times for New Zealand but was dropped a month out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in favour of Victor Vito. In 2004, at the age of just 20, he captained the New Zealand sevens teams to its fifth Institutional Review Board Sevens World Series title and in 2005 led the team to the final.
He has also played for the New Zealand Maori, including during the 2006 Churchill Cup and the 2010 centenary series, where he captained the side. Messam was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup as part of the All Blacks" 31-man squad.
After the history-making tournament was finished, Messam announced the will to compete in the Rugby Sevens for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Messam was later named in the All Black Sevens" squad for the Wellington Sevens alongside All Blacks teammate Sonny Bill Williams. The most capped player for the franchise, with two title wins as captain, Messam is arguably the greatest player in Chiefs history.
