Quentin Lee Pongia (9 July 1970 – 18 May 2019) was a New Zealand
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who represented
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in the 1990s and 2000s.
Background
He was the grandson of fellow
Kiwi international Jim Calder. His sister Megan Tahapeehi has represented the
Kiwi Ferns
The New Zealand women's national rugby league team, also known as the Kiwi Ferns or New Zealand Kiwi Ferns, represents New Zealand in Women's rugby league. They are administered by the New Zealand Rugby League.
New Zealand won the Women's Ru ...
,
[Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'' ] and his older brother
Brendon represented New Zealand as a professional basketball player.
Playing career
Originally from the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
, Pongia transferred east in 1988. He registered and played for the Riccarton Knights Rugby League Football Club in the
Canterbury Rugby League
Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...
competition, representing the province in 1991 and 1992.
[''New Zealand Rugby League Annual '98'', ]New Zealand Rugby Football League
The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...
, 1998. p.4
Pongia later played for the
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
. He also became a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
international and was selected to go on the
1993 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France, playing in all five
test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
es. He played at the
1995 Rugby League World Cup. Pongia played for the
Auckland Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
and was the
NZRL
The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...
player of the year in 1998.
He joined the
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
of the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
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
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
and the
Lord Derby Cup
The French Rugby League Cup (french: Coupe de France de Rugby à XIII), also called Lord Derby Cup (french: Coupe Lord Derby) after its championship trophy, is the premier knockout competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. Th ...
with the club.
In 2003, after the French season had finished, Pongia returned to Australia and played two matches for the
St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
. He then finished his career in England playing for the
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League.
Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...
. Pongia played for the
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League.
Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...
at prop forward in the
2003 Super League Grand Final which was lost to the
Bradford Bulls
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...
. He was forced to retire from rugby league after it was discovered that he suffered from
hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection.
Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...
.
Post playing
In 2009 Pongia was the strength and conditioning coach for the Canberra Raiders
Toyota Cup (Under-20s) team. He was promoted to assistant coach for the Raiders
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
team for the 2010 season. During the
2009 Four Nations
The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (officially known as the Gillette Four Nations due to sponsorship) was the first Rugby League Four Nations since its expansion from the Tri-Nations tournament. Played in England and France over three ...
Pongia was an assistant trainer and mentor for the
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team (Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...
. He was replaced as a Raiders assistant coach for the 2012 season by
Justin Morgan
Justin Morgan (February 28, 1747 – March 22, 1798) was a U.S. horse breeder and composer.
He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of ...
.
Quentin Pongia was the wellbeing officer for the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
in 2017.
Death
Pongia died of bowel cancer on 18 May 2019 in Greymouth, at the age of 48.
References
External links
World Cup 1995 detailsThe Teams: New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pongia, Quentin
1970 births
2019 deaths
Canberra Raiders players
Canterbury rugby league team players
Junior Kiwis players
New Zealand Māori rugby league players
New Zealand national rugby league team captains
New Zealand national rugby league team players
New Zealand rugby league players
New Zealand rugby league coaches
New Zealand Warriors players
Rugby league props
St. George Illawarra Dragons players
Sydney Roosters players
Villeneuve Leopards players
Wigan Warriors players
Deaths from cancer in New Zealand
Deaths from colorectal cancer