Quote Pewhairangi extends time in the capital
London Broncos Rugby League is delighted to confirm Api Pewhairangi has signed a one year contract extension ahead of the coming 2018 season.
The 25 year old New Zealand native originally joined London on a four week trial mid-2016, and thoroughly impressed on debut – making his first appearance during London’s 62-4 thrashing of Whitehaven, scoring two tries, winning Man of the Match, and signing a contract that would see him remain with the Broncos until the end of 2017.
An ex Parramatta Eels and New Zealand Warriors stand off/centre, Pewhairangi also holds an Irish passport, and has recently been selected to represent Ireland in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
To date, the talented youngster has played 33 games in London colours, scoring 22 tries and 38 goals in his 18 months with the club, and says he is thrilled to be remaining in the capital.
“I’m very happy to be staying. Obviously we fell short this year, and I’ve always had a personal goal for myself – I believe that London can get back to Super League, and I want to be here when that happens,” commented Pewhairangi.
“I’ve played some good footy here the last couple of seasons, and I really want to knuckle down and own my position in the team, and help lead this team into the tough Championship competition next year.
“We’ll have to do the hard work – go back to the drawing board and see where we went wrong this season. No doubt we’ll have a hard pre-season, and we’ll be getting ready for the upcoming Championship season. There’ll be some very strong teams next year – it’s going to be better for the competition and better for the game, and it’ll be a lot more competitive.
“Barthau is a big loss for us, but I’m going to take that as an opportunity to establish myself with Jazz (Sammut). Five-eighth is my preferred position, and I want to own it next year.
“I want to work on what I’m good at, and help the team to achieve what we set out to achieve.”
London boss, Andrew Henderson, was equally pleased to have retained Pewhairangi’s services for another season, saying: “Api made an immediate impact when he first joined the club in 2016 and soon became a fan favourite. He has a strong running game, and the ability to unlock defences with his footwork and can sniff out a try. He has a decent skill set but still has a lot more improvement in him, and I can only see him getting better.
“His utility value was shown at the back end of the season playing in the centres – though it’s not his preferred position, he did a fantastic job for us there.
“There were a few things stalling this deal, but I’m really pleased we have finally been able to retain him. With Barthau departing, it was even more important we had some continuity with our pivots. I did offer Api to stay before we learnt of Barthau leaving, to give us three strong options.
“He has improved, and will continue to in his time with the Broncos, and it will be good for him to get a pre-season under his belt. I look forward to seeing him represent Ireland at the World Cup and gaining some valuable experience to bring back to the team.”
'"
good news!!!!!
