The numbers game: Laumape’s mega season
It is no secret that Ngani Laumape had a blockbusting season for the Hurricanes this year.
But the All Blacks second fiveeighth lit up the scoreboard like no one has since 2005.
Laumape scored 15 tries for the side this year and will almost certainly finish the season as the competition’s top try-scorer with the best Crusaders and Lions players six tries adrift.
That means he equalled Rico Gear (Crusaders, 2005) and Joe Roff (Brumbies, 1997) for the most tries scored in a Super season.
Unlike Gear and Roff, Laumape headed into his hot try-scoring season without playing a test. Both Gear and Roff made international debuts the season before they exploded in Super Rugby.
Laumape was rewarded with two tests for the All Blacks against the British and Irish Lions, where he picked up his first test try in July, after his stunning start to the season.
Laumape’s Hurricanes teammate Vince Aso moved into fourth on the most tries in a Super Rugby season list behind that trio with 14.
It pushed him ahead of Waisake Naholo (Highlanders, 2015), James
Small (Sharks, 1996) and Andrew Walker (Brumbies, 2000) who all banked 13 tries in a season.
Laumape’s breakout season of Super Rugby was not just down to him bagging tries.
He also is credited with seven try assists. He finished the year with 38 clean breaks, ranked fourth best in the competition.
With 58 defenders beaten, he sat behind just Crusaders fullback David Havili and Chiefs fullback Damian Mckenzie.
He also came in ninth in the competition for metres-gained, falling just 4m shy of the 1000 mark.
His tryscoring feats also means he broke a record held by Christian Cullen since 1997 for most tries by a Manawatu player in a Super Rugby season.
Cullen scored 11 in that season, his second to last as a Manawatu player before he moved to Wellington.
The major difference between Cullen and Laumape was the amount of games they had to record the feat.
Laumape played 17 games this year, while Cullen knocked out his in 10 matches.
Cullen was also tied for second on the list for his seven-try effort set in the inaugural season of the competition.