JJ Pokai

JJ Pokai

Full name	Josiah Pokai
Born	(2002-04-30) 30 April 2002 (age 23) 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
Position Hooker Current team Chiefs, Taranaki Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2024– Taranaki 16 (0) 2026– Chiefs Correct as of 11 November 2025

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

1. "Keran van Staden". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
2. "First XV Rugby: Ranking the top 15 schools in New Zealand". NZ Herald. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
3. "Bayleys Academy Year 1 Intake 2020". Taranaki Rugby. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
4. "11 BOP players in Chiefs U20 squad". Sun Live. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
5. "Predictable semi-final results in premier rugby". Sports News Taranaki. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
6. "Barnes satisfied with depth and balance of Taranaki squad" . Taranaki Daily News. 7 July 2025. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
7. "Gallagher Chiefs 2026 wider training group". Chiefs (Press release). 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.

External links

• itsrugby.co.uk Profile