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.

Kai Pearce-Paul
Personal information
Born (2001-02-19) 19 February 2001 (age 23)
Lewisham, London, England[1][2]
Height198 cm (6 ft 6 in)[2]
Weight108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
Playing information
PositionSecond-row, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2020–23 Wigan Warriors 61 7 0 0 28
2024– Newcastle Knights 10 0 0 0 0
Total 71 7 0 0 28
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2021 England Knights 1 0 0 0 0
2022–23 England 3 3 0 0 12
Source: [3][4]
As of 11 May 2024

He previously played for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League.

Background edit

Pearce-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 edit

Wigan Warriors edit

2020 edit

Pearce-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 edit

Pearce-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 edit

In 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 edit

2024 edit

In round 1 of the 2024 NRL season, Pearce-Paul made his club debut for Newcastle in their loss against Canberra.[14]

International career edit

In 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.[15]

Honours edit

Wigan Warriors edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul: Wigan Warriors sign London Broncos academy forward". 8 November 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Kai Pearce-Paul - Wigan Warriors". Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Player Summary: Kai Pearce-Paul". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  5. ^ "Round 14 fixtures confirmed". Sky Sports. 22 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Starting Lineups - Wigan vs St Helens". Sky Sports. 29 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Super League: Wigan vs St Helens". BBC. 29 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Super League play-offs: Catalans Dragons 10-20 Leeds Rhinos - Liam Sutcliffe hat-trick secures win". www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Knights announce English signings". Newcastle Knights. December 5, 2022.
  10. ^ "Kai Pearce-Paul & Will Pryce to join NRL side Newcastle Knights after 2023 season". www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ^ "Custom Match List - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  12. ^ "Betfred Super League - Grand Final - Wigan Warriors 10 def. Catalans Dragons 2 - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  13. ^ "Wigan Warriors crowned Super League champions after downing Dragons". www.theguardian.com.
  14. ^ "Raiders run rampant over Knights in 28-12 NRL win". www.espn.co.uk.
  15. ^ "Rugby League World Cup: England crush Greece as Dom Young scores four tries". www.bbc.co.uk.

External links edit