Sam Panapa
Personal information | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Samuel Lameko Panapa[1] | |||||
Born | New Zealand | |||||
Playing information | ||||||
Position | Wing, Five-eighth | |||||
Club | ||||||
Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
1984–85 | Sheffield Eagles | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
1985–90 | Te Atatu | |||||
1990–91 | Sheffield Eagles | 24 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 56 |
1991–94 | Wigan | 119 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
1994–96 | Salford | 71 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 144 |
Total | 228 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 408 | |
Representative | ||||||
Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
1986–91 | Auckland | |||||
1986 | Tokelau | |||||
1990–91 | New Zealand | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
1995 | Western Samoa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: RLP |
Sam Panapa is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He represented three countries in his career: New Zealand, Tokelau and Samoa. Panapa played his club football in Auckland as well as England, where he won several titles with the champion Wigan side of the 1990s.
Playing career
A Te Atatu Roosters junior in the Auckland Rugby League competitions,[2] Panapa played club football in Britain for Wigan. He represented Tokelau at the 1986 Pacific Cup,[3] and later for New Zealand. During the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season, Panapa played for defending champions Wigan at centre in their 1991 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Penrith Panthers. During the 1992–93 Rugby Football League season Panapa played from the interchange bench for defending RFL champions Wigan in the 1992 World Club Challenge against the visiting Brisbane Broncos.
Sam Panapa played as an Interchange/Substitute, i.e. number 15, (replacing Loose forward/Lock Phil Clarke on 9-minutes) in Wigan's 15-8 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1992–93 Regal Trophy final during the 1992–93 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 23 January 1993,[4] and played as an Interchange/Substitute, i.e. number 14, (replacing Second-row Neil Cowie on 30-minutes) in the 2-33 defeat by Castleford in the 1993–94 Regal Trophy final during the 1993–94 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 22 January 1994.
Sam joined Salford in 1994–95 Rugby Football League season and helped them attain Super League status following a Grand Final victory over Keighley Cougars at Old Trafford. Following that game Sam announced his retirement and returned to Auckland Warriors as Fitness Coach.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Panapa travelled with defending champions Wigan to Brisbane, playing on at centre in their 1994 World Club Challenge victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos.
He played for Western Samoa at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
Coaching career
Between 2006 and 2008 Panapa coached the Auckland side. In 2006 he was the Assistant Coach for the New Zealand Residents team.[5]
References
- ↑ PANAPA, SAMUEL LAMEKO 1987, 1990 - 91 - KIWI #602 nzleague.co.nz
- ↑ 1986 Lion Red Rugby League Annual, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1986. p.101
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4, p.p.349-357.
External links
- World Cup 1995 details
- Sam Panapa on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Infobox rugby league biography templates needing updating
- Year of birth missing (living people)
- Living people
- Te Atatu Roosters players
- Richmond Bulldogs players
- Sheffield Eagles (1984) players
- Wigan Warriors players
- Salford Red Devils players
- New Zealand national rugby league team players
- Samoa national rugby league team players
- New Zealand rugby league players
- Tokelau national rugby league team players
- New Zealand rugby league coaches
- Auckland rugby league team coaches
- Auckland rugby league team players
- New Zealand expatriate rugby league players
- Expatriate rugby league players in England
- New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom
- New Zealand people of Samoan descent
- New Zealand people of Tokelauan descent