Pierre Hola Explained

Pierre Hola
Birth Name:Raymond Pierre Hola
Birth Date:9 June 1978[1]
Birth Place:Sydney, Australia
Height:183cm (72inches)
Weight:124kg (273lb)
Ru Position:Fly half, Centre, Fullback, Wing
Repteam2:Pacific Islanders
Repyears1:1998–2009
Repyears2:2008
Repcaps1:39
Repcaps2:1
Reppoints1:317
Reppoints2:5
Years2:2008–2009
Years3:2009–2010
Years4:2010
Years5:2011–2014
Clubs1:West Harbour
Clubs2:Kobelco Steelers
Clubs3:Viadana
Clubs4:Parramatta
Clubs5:Eastwood
Clubs6:Helelensvale Hogs
Apps3:9
Points3:39
Ru Currentclub:Eastwood rugby
Rl Proclubs1:Canterbury Bulldogs
School:Canterbury Boys' High School

Pierre Hola (born 9 June 1978) is an Australian-born former rugby union footballer. He represented Tonga and played club rugby in the Australian Shute Shield for Eastwood.

Career

Hola made his debut for Tonga in September 1998 in a match against Samoa, and has since earned 57 test caps, including representing Tonga at the 2003 Rugby World Cup[2] in Australia where he was their top scorer and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Other memorable moments was being the sole point scorer for Tonga vs the All Blacks and sending Canadian captain Al Charon unconscious off the field in his final match after accidentally knocking him out.

He has scored 465 points for Tonga. He also holds for the most points scored in one match for Tonga (44) against South Korea which included 2 tries and 17 from 17 conversions (world record). He has represented Tonga in the IRB Pacific 5 Nations where he was one of the players of the tournament for them as well as in the 2007 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.

In 2016 he began playing for the Helensvale Hogs.[3]

2007 RWC

He was an integral part of Tonga's successful rugby world cup 2007 campaign again being their top scorer kicking 44 points for the 2nd consecutive world cup tournament. A memorable moment for him came from the hard-fought 30-25 loss to the eventual champions South Africa. Trapped inside the Tongan 22, he launched a cross field kick to set up a counterattack which resulted in one of the tries of the tournament (scored by Viliami Vaki).

Pacific Nations Cup

Hola was a late call-up for the Tongan team in the 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. He would play in their 35-13 loss to Japan, 15-20 defeat to Samoa and 27-16 victory over Fiji. He has since been selected for the 2008 Pacific Islanders rugby union team to tour Europe in November playing games against France, England and Italy.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pierre Hola Tonga . ESPN . 10 August 2023.
  2. Web site: Tonga squad named for World Cup . New Zealand Herald . 8 September 2003 . 10 August 2023.
  3. Web site: Former Tonga Test rugby union fly half Pierre Hola playing for Helensvale Hogs . Gold Coast Bulletin . 8 April 2016 . 10 August 2023.
  4. Web site: Islanders pick cream of World Cup crop to face England . Reuters . 6 November 2008 . 10 August 2023.