Joe Apikotoa Bio
Sosefo Losino ‘Apikotoa, widely known as Joe Apikotoa, is a Tongan international rugby union player who plays as a prop. As of the 2025 season, he represents Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand’s domestic National Provincial Championship competition, having returned to the Magpies after stints in Super Rugby and Major League Rugby. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, he represents Tonga internationally through his Tongan heritage.
Standing 1.91 m tall and weighing around 120 kg, Apikotoa is a sizeable front-row forward whose career has spanned club rugby in New Zealand, a season in Spain, Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere, and Major League Rugby in the United States. He is widely regarded as a hard-working prop whose career has been built on persistence and steady development across multiple competitions.
Early Life and Background
Sosefo Losino ‘Apikotoa was born on 18 July 1996 in Wellington, New Zealand. Raised in the capital region, he grew up in a part of the country with a strong rugby tradition and a sizeable Pasifika community, which helped shape his early sporting path. His Tongan heritage would later open the door to international representation with Tonga.
Apikotoa attended St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, where he played both rugby union and rugby league. His size and athleticism marked him out at a young age, and he featured for the school’s 1st XV in the Wellington Premiership competition across 2012, 2013, and 2014. His schoolboy form led to representative honours and a brief path into professional rugby league before he committed fully to rugby union.
Path to Rugby
Apikotoa’s sporting journey began in both codes. He represented the Wellington Orcas at under-17 level in 2012 and 2013, earning Wellington Orcas 17s Player of the Year and Junior Player of the Year honours in 2013. A year later, he played for the premier Wellington Orcas squad. In 2013, he was selected for the New Zealand Residents U18 team that played two tests against an Australian Secondary Schools side, and in 2014 he played two more tests against the New South Wales-based Taurahere Kiwis.
While still at school, he signed a two-year contract with the Melbourne Storm starting in November 2014, but returned to New Zealand in December of that year and shifted his focus to rugby union. On his return, he played for Hutt Old Boys-Marist in the Wellington Premier club competition, and in 2015 he was part of the Wellington U19 team that finished fifth at the Jock Hobbs Memorial National U19 tournament. He attended a New Zealand U20 Development Camp in November 2015 and an U20 trial camp in March 2016, but was not named in the New Zealand Under-20 squad for the 2016 Oceania Rugby Under 20 Championship or the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.
Joe Apikotoa Career
Early Career (2015–2017)
Although Apikotoa was not named in the Wellington Lions squad for the 2015 ITM Cup season, he played five games off the bench for the province, making his Wellington debut on 15 August 2015 against Taranaki. He was then named in the Wellington Lions squad in both 2016 and 2017, going on to play 22 games for the province across those two seasons. In 2017, he was also selected in the Hurricanes squad for the inaugural Brisbane Global Rugby Tens, a sign that his scrummaging and ball-carrying work in provincial rugby was attracting attention at the Super Rugby level.
Provincial Breakthrough (2018–2020)
Looking for more game time, Apikotoa moved to Hawke’s Bay for the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season and played 11 games for the Magpies that year. In 2019, he featured in a preseason game for the Highlanders, though the appearance did not lead to a Super Rugby contract. Later that year he had a brief stint in Spain with the Basque club Ordizia RE in the División de Honor de Rugby, playing nine games before returning home to pursue opportunities in New Zealand.
He re-joined Hawke’s Bay for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season and was part of one of the most memorable campaigns in the province’s history. The Magpies won the Ranfurly Shield from Otago that year, defended it successfully against Northland, Manawatu, and Wellington, and went on to win the Mitre 10 Cup Championship, earning promotion to the Premiership division. The Magpies also held the Shield through the entire 2021 Bunnings NPC season, winning all six defences that year.
Super Rugby Era (2021–2023)
Following his strong 2020 form with Hawke’s Bay, Apikotoa was signed by the Chiefs as an injury replacement for the 2021 Super Rugby season, despite not being named in the initial squad. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs on 20 March 2021 against the Hurricanes and went on to play five games for the franchise that year.
On 9 November 2021, Moana Pasifika announced that the new franchise had signed Apikotoa for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season. He made his debut for the new franchise off the bench in their inaugural Super Rugby game against the Crusaders on 4 March 2022. He scored his first Super Rugby try in Moana Pasifika’s second match of the season, against the Chiefs, on 19 March 2022, and played two seasons for the franchise.
Anthem Rugby Carolina Era (2024–2025)
On 2 February 2024, Apikotoa was named in the Anthem Rugby Carolina squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season. He made his debut for the club on 5 April 2024 against the Utah Warriors, adding a new chapter to a career that had already taken him from Wellington club rugby to Super Rugby. The Major League Rugby move reflected the global nature of his professional path and gave him exposure to the North American game before his return to New Zealand.
Driving Style and Strengths
Apikotoa is a powerful, durable prop whose game is built around scrummaging solidity, close-quarter ball carrying, and set-piece reliability. His frame of 1.91 m and around 120 kg has allowed him to compete in tight exchanges in both the NPC and Super Rugby, while his mobility around the field has helped him play in the wider channels in attack.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the most significant moments of his career are his 2020 Ranfurly Shield success and Mitre 10 Cup Championship win with Hawke’s Bay, his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs in 2021, and his try-scoring debut season with Moana Pasifika in 2022. He also became an international when he was named in the Tongan squad for the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup, making his test debut against Fiji on 2 July 2022.
Joe Apikotoa Career Wins
Apikotoa’s trophy cabinet is anchored by the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup Championship with Hawke’s Bay and the Ranfurly Shield success that year. The Magpies also held the Shield through the entire 2021 Bunnings NPC season, and he has added representative honours with Tonga, including selection for the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup and the Asia/Pacific qualification match for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Provincial Highlights
Apikotoa made his Wellington debut on 15 August 2015 against Taranaki, played 22 games for the province across 2016 and 2017, and scored his first Super Rugby try for Moana Pasifika against the Chiefs on 19 March 2022. The 2020 Ranfurly Shield win and Championship title with Hawke’s Bay stand as the defining provincial chapter of his career so far.
Joe Apikotoa Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Apikotoa is of Tongan descent, and this heritage is the foundation of his international career with Tonga. Publicly available information about his broader family background is limited, and any further details are not included here.
Personal Life
Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Apikotoa has based much of his career in New Zealand, with time spent in Australia, Spain, and the United States. Further personal-life details are not included here.
2025 Season Performance
Following his time with Anthem Rugby Carolina in Major League Rugby, Apikotoa returned to Hawke’s Bay for the 2025 NPC campaign. His experience in Super Rugby and at international level with Tonga makes him a valuable senior figure in the Magpies’ forward pack as they look to compete in the Premiership division.
The 2025 season is an opportunity for Apikotoa to settle back into New Zealand’s domestic competition after two seasons abroad and continue contributing to a Hawke’s Bay side with a proud recent history of Ranfurly Shield success. With provincial and international experience across multiple competitions, he is well placed to provide leadership in the tight forwards.