Willie Poching

Willie Poching
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Mila Poching[1]
Born (1973-08-30) 30 August 1973 (age 51)
Auckland, New Zealand
Height6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)
Weight16 st 3 lb (103 kg)
Playing information
PositionSecond-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Marist Saints
Mount Albert Lions
1993 Northcote Tigers
1995 Auckland Warriors 2 1 0 0 4
1996 North Qld Cowboys 16 0 2 0 4
1997 Hunter Mariners 13 3 1 0 14
1998 St. George Dragons 4 1 0 0 4
1998 Hunslet Hawks 2 0 0 0 0
1999–01 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 74 21 1 0 86
2002–06 Leeds Rhinos 149 51 0 0 204
Total 260 77 4 0 316
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1992–93 Auckland 4
1994–00 Samoa 6 0 2 0 4
2005 New Zealand 1 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2021–22 Wakefield Trinity 36 17 0 19 47
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2009 Samoa 1 0 0 1 0
Source: [2][3]
As of 13 September 2022

Willie Poching is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the former head-coach of Wakefield Trinity in the Super League. When he was appointed head coach of Wakefield, he became the first Samoan head coach of a first grade rugby league club.[4] A former New Zealand, and Samoa international representative forward, he spent his career playing for clubs in New Zealand, Australia and finally England, winning the Super League championship with Leeds Rhinos in 2004.[2]

  1. ^ POCHING, WILLIAM MILA 2005 - KIWI #724 nzleague.co.nz
  2. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ Ewart, Richard (27 October 2021). "Willie Poching first Samoan head coach of first grade rugby league club". ABC Radio Australia. Retrieved 1 May 2022.