Quentin Pongia
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Quentin Lee Pongia | |||||
| Born | 9 July 1970 | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||
| Weight | 102 kg (16 st 1 lb; 225 lb) | |||||
| Position | Prop | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1993–97 | Canberra Raiders | 74 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1998 | Auckland Warriors | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–01 | Sydney Roosters | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2003 | St George Illawarra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | Wigan Warriors | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 162 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1992–00 | New Zealand | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Quentin Lee Pongia[1] (born 9 July 1970) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who represented his country. He is the grandson of fellow Kiwi international Jim Calder and his sister Megan Tahapeehi has also represented the Kiwi Ferns.[2]
Playing career
Originally from the West Coast, Pongia transferred east in 1988 and played in the Canterbury Rugby League competition, representing the province in 1991 and 1992.[2][3]
Pongia later played for the Canberra Raiders. He also became a New Zealand international and was selected to go on the 1993 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France, playing in all five test matches. He played at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. Pongia played for the Auckland Warriors and was the NZRL player of the year in 1998.[3]He joined the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League before heading to France. Pongia went to France as player coach of Paris Chattilon, but it didn’t work out and he moved to Villeneuve, winning both the Championship and the Lord Derby Cup with the side.
In 2003, after the French season had finished, Pongia returned to Australia and played two matches for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He then finished his career in England playing for the Wigan Warriors. Pongia played for the Wigan Warriors at prop forward in the 2003 Super League Grand Final which was lost to the Bradford Bulls. He was forced to retire from rugby league after it was discovered that he suffered from hepatitis B.[4]
Post playing
In 2009 Pongia was the strength and conditioning coach for the Canberra Raiders Toyota Cup side. He was promoted to assistant coach for the Raiders National Rugby League team for the 2010 season.[5] During the 2009 Four Nations Pongia was an assistant trainer and mentor for the New Zealand Kiwis.[6] He was replaced as a Raiders assistant coach for the 2012 season by Justin Morgan.[7]
References
- ↑ PONGIA, QUENTIN LEE 1992 - 2000 - KIWI #634 Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. nzleague.co.nz
- 1 2 Coffey and Wood The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League ISBN 1-86971-090-8
- 1 2 New Zealand Rugby League Annual '98, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. p.4
- ↑ Quentin Pongia Archived December 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Wigan Warriors
- ↑ McFadden, Pongia join Raiders staff AAP, 25 September 2009
- ↑ New Zealand Rugby League, The 2009 Kiwis (Auckland, Sentra Printing 2009) p.19
- ↑ Raiders appoint Justin Morgan as Assistant Coach Archived October 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. rleague.com, 19 October 2011