JJ Pokai
| Full name | Josiah Pokai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 30 April 2002 New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb; 18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | New Plymouth Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JJ Pokai (born 30 April 2002) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for the Chiefs and Taranaki. His preferred position is hooker.[1]
Early career
Pokai attended New Plymouth Boys' High School where he played rugby for the first XV.[2] After leaving school he joined up with the Taranaki academy, joining in 2020.[3] He earned selection for the Chiefs U20 side in 2021,[4] having earned selection for the Chiefs U18 side in 2019. He plays his club rugby for the New Plymouth Old Boys in the Taranaki region.[5]
Professional career
Pokai has represented Taranaki in the National Provincial Championship since 2024, being named in the squad for the 2025 Bunnings NPC.[6] He was named in the Chiefs wider training group for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.[7]
References
- ^ "Keran van Staden". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "First XV Rugby: Ranking the top 15 schools in New Zealand". NZ Herald. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Bayleys Academy Year 1 Intake 2020". Taranaki Rugby. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "11 BOP players in Chiefs U20 squad". Sun Live. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Predictable semi-final results in premier rugby". Sports News Taranaki. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Barnes satisfied with depth and balance of Taranaki squad". Taranaki Daily News. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Gallagher Chiefs 2026 wider training group". Chiefs (Press release). 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
External links