Former One New Zealand Warriors junior Josiah Karapani has been brought into the New Zealand Kiwis’ squad as a replacement player ahead of their Pacific Championships final against Toa Sāmoa at CommBank Stadium in Sydney on Sunday (6.05pm kick-off NZT).
Fresh from Brisbane's NRL grand final win last month, the 23-year-old Aucklander comes in for Canberra Raiders outside back Sebastian Kris who has been ruled out of the campaign with a calf injury picked up in training last week.
After making nine appearances in his rookie season last year, Karapani came back into the Broncos’ lineup midway through the 2025 campaign finishing with 11 tries in 13 games averaging 162 metres a match with 14 line breaks and 43 tackle breaks.
An Ōtāhuhu Leopards junior, he was signed by the One New Zealand Warriors as a teenager, making five appearances – and scoring five tries – in the club’s first season in the SG Ball Cup in 2020, which finished abruptly after just six rounds due to the Covid pandemic.
The Pakuranga College product, who represented the New Zealand 18s Clubs, was then signed by South Sydney but ultimately found his way to Queensland before breaking into the NRL with the Broncos.
While Kris has been replaced in the Kiwis’ Pacific Championships squad, no player has been added for prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona who has also been ruled out of the final with a calf injury.
