Rugby player
| Full name | John Francis Akurangi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1970-04-24) 24 April 1970 (age 54) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hastings, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 246 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Francis Akurangi (born 24 April 1970) is a New Zealand former professional rugby union player.
Akurangi was born in Hastings and is an old boy of St Peter's College, Auckland.
A NZ Maori representative front-rower, Akurangi was in the Auckland Blues squad the won the inaugural Super 12 competition in 1996, before stints with the Crusaders and Chiefs. He played professional rugby overseas at Stade Français and SU Agen during the 1990s, then had a season with the Leicester Tigers in 1999–00.
Akurangi received a fine in 2002 for cultivating and possessing cannabis, a conviction that cost him a $1 million contract to coach a Japanese club. He then lived in Sydney for several years and during this period had an acting cameo as a bouncer on Underbelly: The Golden Mile. After moving to Italy in 2010 to coach rugby, Akurangi suffered a heart attack and had a stent inserted, which caused further issues five years later when it tore an aorta near his heart. He underwent seven hour surgery in Milan and has subsequently recovered.
References
- "John Francis Akurangi". www.rugbyhistory.co.nz.
- "Blog Archives". College Sport Media. 27 September 2018.
- "Rugby: The first Super champions - where are they now?". NZ Herald. 13 February 2016.
- "Former Super Rugby hooker in hospital". NZ Herald. 7 December 2015.
- "Former Māori All Black rebuilds career in Italy". Newshub. 4 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
- "Akurangi's long journey back". Stuff.co.nz. 7 March 2010.
- "Former Crusaders hooker John Akurangi 'doing well' after heart surgery in Italy". Stuff.co.nz. 8 December 2015.
External links
- John Akurangi at ESPNscrum
- 1970 births
- Living people
- New Zealand rugby union players
- Rugby union props
- Rugby union hookers
- Rugby union players from Hastings, New Zealand
- New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in France
- New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in England
- Stade Français Paris players
- SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne players
- Leicester Tigers players
- Crusaders (rugby union) players
- Chiefs (Super Rugby) players
- Auckland rugby union players
- Counties Manukau rugby union players
- People educated at St Peter's College, Auckland
- Māori All Blacks players