Meet Sia Soliola ... a star rugby player in Australia's NRL who broke his face mid-game -- but then had it repaired just a few days later with a handful of hardware, no problem!!

The story is insane ... the 33-year-old Canberra Raiders player took an upper-body shot to the face in the middle of a match last Friday and immediately knew something was wrong.

The clip is tough to watch ... Soliola gets hit right in the cheek -- and is forced to leave the game immediately.

X-rays revealed the dude BROKE HIS FACE IN HALF ... but Sia got it repaired with a bunch of screws, and didn't even seem to flinch!!

In fact, Sia even joked about the injury, writing on the recovery pics, "NAILED IT."

Tough-ass dude ... considering reports say he'll have to eat his meals through a straw and won't be healthy for at least another few months!!