Here are our three standout rookies from round nine:
3 points: Soane Vikena (Blues)
Despite having their final hopes dashed against the Crusaders, the Blues provided a glimpse to the future through the appearance of 19-year-old hooker Soane Vikena in the final 20 minutes. Vikena had starred for the Blues Under 20s in the Bunnings Warehouse Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 tournament in Taupo last week and carried that form on in Christchurch. In a dynamic 20-minute display, Vikena ran hard with ball in hand and made a big impact on defence to show that he will have a big future for the Blues.
2 points: Ruben Love (Hurricanes)
19-year-old playmaker Ruben Love steered the Hurricanes expertly around the park in their last-gasp loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton. Although the Hurricanes didn’t get the ‘W’, Love’s performance in the pivot role was another positive for the Hurricanes to take from what has been a hard season. While Love didn’t cut the game open with this running game, his distribution and tactical play kept the Hurricanes on the front foot for much of the match.
1 point: Sam Darry (Blues)
Sam Darry partnered Gerard Cowley-Tuioti in the second row to take on the Crusaders pairing of Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett. The experience of playing against two of the best operators in the world in front of a packed house is one that will aid Darry’s development. Darry made seven tackles in an energetic performance in Christchurch and was never far from the action in the tight exchanges.
NOTE: The qualification for rookies is players that are either playing in their first season of Super Rugby or who are playing their first season as a contracted player and have played less than five games prior to 2021.
LEADERBOARD
10 points: Connor Garden-Bachop (Highlanders)
8 points: Kazuki Himeno (Highlanders), Sam Darry (Blues)
5 points: Samipeni Finau (Chiefs) Ruben Love (Hurricanes)
4 points: Luke Campbell (Hurricanes)
3 points: Soane Vikena (Blues)
2 points: James Lay (Blues), Jack Regan (Highlanders), Adrian Choat (Blues), Kaylum Boshier (Chiefs)
1 point: Chay Fihaki (Crusaders), Josh Lord (Chiefs), Dallas McLeod