Kai Pearce-Paul (born 19 February 2001) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward or centre for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. He has represented England at international level.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 February 2001 Lewisham, London, England[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 108 kg (17 st 0 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 27 October 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Kam Pearce-Paul (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League.
Background
editPearce-Paul played his amateur rugby league for the Croydon Hurricanes.
Pearce-Paul is of English, Faroese, St Vincent and Antiguan descent.[2] He is the younger brother of former London Broncos and London Skolars player Kam Pearce-Paul and older brother of Saracens rugby union footballer Kaden Pearce-Paul.
Club career
editWigan Warriors
edit2020
editPearce-Paul made his Super League debut in round 14 of the 2020 Super League season for the Warriors against St Helens where Wigan went on to lose 42–0 against a much more experienced St Helens squad, Pearce-Paul started from the bench and became Wigan Warriors player #1109.[5][6][7]
2022
editPearce-Paul played 18 games for Wigan in the 2022 Super League season including the clubs shock semi-final loss against Leeds.[8]
In December, it was announced that Pearce-Paul had signed a two-year contract with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL, starting in 2024.[9][10]
2023
editIn 2023, Pearce-Paul played in 23 matches for Wigan, scoring three tries.[11] His final game for the club was the 2023 Super League Grand Final, in which Wigan defeated the Catalans Dragons 10-2.[12][13]
Newcastle Knights
edit2024
editIn round 1 of the 2024 NRL season, Pearce-Paul made his club debut for Newcastle in their loss against Canberra.[14] He played 22 games for Newcastle in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 8th and qualified for the finals. He played in their elimination finals loss against North Queensland.[15]
International career
editIn 2022, Pearce-Paul was selected for England's 2021 Rugby League World Cup campaign, and made his debut against Greece scoring a try in a 94-4 victory.[16]
Honours
editWigan Warriors
edit- Super League
- Winners (1): 2023
- League Leaders' Shield
- Challenge Cup
- Winners (1): 2022
Statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 19 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 18 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2023 | 23 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2024 | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 7 | 28 | |
References
edit- ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul: Wigan Warriors sign London Broncos academy forward". 8 November 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Kai Pearce-Paul - Wigan Warriors". Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Player Summary: Kai Pearce-Paul". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Round 14 fixtures confirmed". Sky Sports. 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Starting Lineups - Wigan vs St Helens". Sky Sports. 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Super League: Wigan vs St Helens". BBC. 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Super League play-offs: Catalans Dragons 10-20 Leeds Rhinos - Liam Sutcliffe hat-trick secures win". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Knights announce English signings". Newcastle Knights. 5 December 2022.
- ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul & Will Pryce to join NRL side Newcastle Knights after 2023 season". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Custom Match List - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Betfred Super League - Grand Final - Wigan Warriors 10 def. Catalans Dragons 2 - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Wigan Warriors crowned Super League champions after downing Dragons". www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Raiders run rampant over Knights in 28-12 NRL win". www.espn.co.uk.
- ^ "Brutal reality Newcastle must accept before solving confidence-killing 'riddle'". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ "Rugby League World Cup: England crush Greece as Dom Young scores four tries". www.bbc.co.uk.