Lewis Ponini
New Zealand rugby union player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lewis Ponini (born 7 December 1999) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. He has also played for Canterbury in the Bunnings NPC. His preferred position is prop.[1]
| Born | 7 December 1999 Rarotonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 130 kg (287 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Rangiora High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Ridge Ponini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early career
Ponini attended Rangiora High School.[2] He moved to Australia in 2021, first representing Eastwood,[3] before transferring to Eastern Suburbs in 2023.[4]
Professional career
Ponini represented Canterbury in the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup having been called into the squad as an injury replacement.[5] He was initially called into the Waratahs B team as an injury replacement during the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific pre-season, and went on to become a regular in Waratahs Super Rugby team during the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, making his debut for the side in Round 8 as a replacement against the Crusaders, and going on to play a total of 7 matches for the NSW side. ref>"Harrison kicks Waratahs to extra-time victory over Crusaders". Rugby.com.au. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.</ref> Ponini was called into the Crusaders squad as injury cover ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.[6] He made his debut in Round 16 in 2025 against the Brumbies in Canberra. He became Crusader #300.[7]. Ponini is currently contracted with Canterbury for the Bunnings NPC Competition, and was part of the winning squad for the 2025 season, following a season victory with the Crusaders in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition.
