View source for Apollo Perelini

{{Short description|Samoan dual-code rugby international footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name           = Apollo Perelini
|fullname       = Afamasaga Apollo Perelini
|image          = Apollo Perelini.jpg
|image_size     = 150
|birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1969|7|16|df=yes}}
|birth_place    = [[Auckland, New Zealand]]
|height         = {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|weight         = {{convert|16|st|10|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
|position       = {{rlp|PR|SR}}
|club1          = [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
|year1start     = 1994
|year1end       = 00 
|appearances1   = 163+30
|tries1         = 44
|goals1         = 0 
|fieldgoals1    = 0 
|points1        = 176
|teamA          = {{nowrap|[[Samoa national rugby league team|Western Samoa]]}}
|yearAstart     = 1995
|yearAend       = 
|appearancesA   = 2 
|triesA         = 1 
|goalsA         = 0 
|fieldgoalsA    = 0 
|pointsA        = 4 
|retired        = yes
|source         = <ref>[http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/apollo-perelini/summary.html Rugby League Project]</ref>
|updated        = 8 December 2017 
|ru_position   = 
|ru_club1      = [[Auckland Rugby Union|Auckland]]
|ru_year1start  = 1990
|ru_year1end    = 92
|ru_appearances1= 
|ru_tries1      =
|ru_goals1      =
|ru_fieldgoals1 =
|ru_points1     = 
|ru_club2       = {{nowrap|[[North Harbour Rugby Union|North Harbour]]}}
|ru_year2start  = 1992
|ru_year2end    = 94
|ru_appearances2= 28
|ru_tries2      = 
|ru_goals2      = 
|ru_fieldgoals2 = 
|ru_points2     = 14
|ru_club3       = [[Sale Sharks]]
|ru_year3start  = 2000
|ru_year3end    = 04
|ru_appearances3= 30
|ru_tries3      =
|ru_goals3      =
|ru_fieldgoals3 =
|ru_points3     = 0
|ru_teamA       = [[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]]
|ru_yearAstart  = 1991
|ru_yearAend    = 93
|ru_appearancesA = 9
|ru_triesA      = 0
|ru_goalsA      = 
|ru_fieldgoalsA = 
|ru_pointsA     = 0
|ru_teamB       = [[New Zealand Colts|New Zealand U-21]]
|ru_yearBstart  = 1991
|ru_yearBend    = 93
|ru_appearancesB= 3
|ru_triesB      = 
|ru_goalsB      = 
|ru_fieldgoalsB = 
|ru_pointsB     = 
|ru_teamC       = [[World XV]]
|ru_yearCstart  = 1992
|ru_yearCend    = 
|ru_appearancesC= 1
|ru_triesC      = 
|ru_goalsC      = 
|ru_fieldgoalsC = 
|ru_pointsC     = 
}}

'''Apollo Perelini''' (born 16 July 1969) is a former [[List of dual-code rugby internationals|dual-code international]] [[rugby union]] and [[rugby league]] footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, and has [[Coach (sports)|coach]]ed in the 2000s and 2010s.

He played representative rugby union (RU) for [[New Zealand Colts|New Zealand Under-21s]], [[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]] and [[World XV]] and at club level for [[Auckland Rugby Union|Auckland]], [[North Harbour Rugby Union|North Harbour]] and [[Sale Sharks]], and representative rugby league (RL) for [[Samoa national rugby league team|Western Samoa]] and at club level for [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]], as a {{rlp|pr}} or {{rlp|sr}}.

==Background==
Perelini was born in [[Auckland]], New Zealand. He was named '[[Apollo 11]]' because he was born on the day that the Apollo space project was launched.

He is a New Zealand national.

==Playing career==
Perelini played for [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship|Championship]] and the [[Super League]]. He also played for [[Sale Sharks]] in the [[English Premiership (rugby union)|Zurich Championship]] and [[North Harbour Rugby Union|North Harbour]] in New Zealand. Perelini played both {{rlp|pr}} and {{rlp|sr}} in league, and as a back row player in union.

In the [[1991 Rugby Union World Cup]] he played as an open side flanker, in the Samoans' four games (against Scotland, Wales, Argentina and Australia). During the World Cup he gained the nickname of 'Terminator' for his fierce, hard-hitting tackling technique. In 1994 he received an approach from [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] to play rugby league in England. At first he rejected it, but finally agreed. In 1995 he played for rugby league for [[Samoa national rugby league team|Samoa]] in the Rugby League World Cup, making him the first Samoan to play in World Cups in both codes.

Perelini played for St Helens at {{rlp|pr}} in the [[1996 Challenge Cup]] Final, scoring a try in the last minutes and helping his team to a 40-32 victory over the [[Bradford Bulls]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Steve Prescott Foundation|url=http://www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk/About/StevePrescottStats.aspx|publisher=Steve Prescott Foundation|access-date=3 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808052156/http://www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk/About/StevePrescottStats.aspx|archive-date=8 August 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the end of [[Super League]]'s first season, Perelini was named at {{rlp|pr}} in the 1996 [[Super League Dream Team]].

Apollo Perelini played at {{rlp|pr}} in [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]' 16-25 defeat by [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] in the [[1995–96 League Cup (rugby league)|1995–96 Regal Trophy]] Final during the [[1995–96 Rugby Football League season|1995–96]] at [[John Smith's Stadium|Alfred McAlpine Stadium]], [[Huddersfield]] on Saturday 13 January 1996.<ref name="13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/news.php?readmore=2976|title=13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)|publisher=Wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2014|access-date=1 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007005311/http://wigan.rlfans.com/news.php?readmore=2976|archive-date=7 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Perelini played for [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]] at {{rlp|pr}} in their [[1999 Super League Grand Final]] victory over [[Bradford Bulls]], having won this they contested in the [[2000 World Club Challenge]] against [[National Rugby League]] Premiers the [[Melbourne Storm]], with Perelini playing from the interchange bench in the loss. He also played for St. Helens at {{rlp|pr}} in their [[2000 Super League Grand Final]] victory over [[Wigan Warriors]].

At the age of 33, after finishing his rugby league playing career, he returned to rugby union to play for the [[Sale Sharks]].

==Post playing==
After retiring from playing he joined the Sale's Coaching staff. In 2004 he returned to St Helens as the team's Head of Strength and Conditioning and Skills coach. Apollo helped St Helens to four Challenge Cup titles (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008), four League Leaders titles (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008), one World Club Championship (2007) and one Grand Final Winners (2006, the year in which St Helens won the BBC sports Team Of The Year) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saintsrlfc.com/player/41|title=Saints » Player|access-date=21 June 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402212416/http://www.saintsrlfc.com/player/41|archive-date=2 April 2007}}</ref>

He now lives in [[Dubai]] where he was formerly the Director of Sport at [[Repton School Dubai]], a [[private school]]. He currently runs two sporting Academies - Apollo Perelini Rugby Skills Academy (www.aprsa.com) and JETS (a female football academy), at an increasing number of venues around the emirate.

Apollo is also the current head coach of the [[UAE national rugby team|UAE National Rugby team]], a position which he started in 2015 for the UAERF.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yallarugby.com/uae-international-rugby-team/|title=UAE International Rugby Team Squad Profiles 2017|work=Yalla Rugby|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-GB}}</ref> Apollo spoke about what makes the Rugby Sevens so special and the role that rugby has in the [[Dubai]] history in the [[This Luxury Life]] podcast show. 
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast/episode-17-the-rugby-sevens/id1449632900?i=1000458987085|title=Episode 17: The Rugby Sevens|access-date=2020-02-10}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.saints.org.uk/saints.org.uk/home/viewpage.php?page_id=10&num=16138 Saints Heritage Society profile]
* [https://www.rugbyhistory.co.nz/player/apollo-perelini Apollo Perelini at New Zealand Rugby History]
{{St. Helens - 1996 Challenge Cup Final winners}}
{{St. Helens - 1997 Challenge Cup Final winners}}
{{St. Helens RLFC - 1999 Super League champions}}
{{St. Helens RLFC - 2000 Super League champions}}
{{Samoa Squad 1991 World Cup}}
{{Western Samoa 1995 Rugby League World Cup squad}}
{{1996 Super League Dream Team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perelini, Apollo}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century New Zealand sportsmen]]
[[Category:1991 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:Dual-code rugby internationals]]
[[Category:Samoan expatriate rugby union players in England]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in England]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:New Zealand rugby league players]]
[[Category:New Zealand rugby union players]]
[[Category:North Harbour rugby union players]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Auckland]]
[[Category:Rugby league props]]
[[Category:Rugby league second-rows]]
[[Category:Rugby union flankers]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Auckland]]
[[Category:Sale Sharks players]]
[[Category:Samoa international rugby union players]]
[[Category:Samoa national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Samoan rugby league players]]
[[Category:St Helens R.F.C. players]]