Pita Ahki- What a Lad
About this episode
Pita Ahki shares his unconventional journey in rugby, overcoming challenges and achieving success in France.
Pita Ahki is living proof that careers aren’t always built in a straight line. From struggling for opportunities in New Zealand and watching contracts dry up, to being told by Toulouse doctors that he had a “bad knee” and might not even get signed — Ahki’s journey could have gone very differently. Instead, he backed himself, took the gamble, and went on to become a 5x Top 14 champion and 2x Champions Cup winner in one of the toughest competitions in world rugby. In this episode of What a Lad, Pita opens up about the tough years at the Blues and Hurricanes, asking Super Rugby teams for any opportunity just to stay in the system, nearly walking away from the game after failing a medical in France, and the sliding doors moment that changed everything. In this episode, we cover… - Growing up in Auckland and the Kelston Boys brotherhood - Making NZ U20s and starting NPC straight out of school - The struggles of injury battles while trying to crack it - Asking Super Rugby teams for wider training — and getting nothing - Taking a six-month deal at Connacht just to stay alive in the game - Flying to Toulouse, signing a pre-contract, and being told he had a “bad knee” - Nearly walking…
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