No 8 named Taranaki’s best player
Not for the first time in recent seasons, the Taranaki rugby coaches would have had a hard time deciding exactly who to give the player of the year award to.
Never a union to presume things, Taranaki once again held its annual awards a few days before the Mitre 10 Cup semifinals when they will host Tasman at Yarrow Stadium on Saturday night.
In the end they opted for No 8 Toa Halafihi as the season’s best, a decision that was backed up by the fact he was also the players’ player of the year. Halafihi, 23, has been on the edge of regular selection for a couple of seasons but had a number of players slightly ahead of him on the pecking order.
However, he still managed to make 24 appearances by the end of 2016, a period when he started to regularly start at No 8.
His form was good enough then to earn him a contract with the Hurricanes, albeit for one season, and he started the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup competition just wanting to concentrate on the provincial season.
He did that and performed exceptionally well after the opening couple of rounds when he admitted he was still finding his form.
Together with Pita-Gus Sowakula and Lachlan Boshier, the trio have formed arguably the best loose forward combination in the competition.
It was also no surprise to see Sowakula awarded the most promising player but it would be a major surprise if he was not picked up by a Super Rugby franchise, especially the Chiefs where coach Colin Cooper will head to at the conclusion of the Mitre 10 Cup.
In a funny quirk of the awards, Halafihi was not judged the best forward, with that award going to hooker Ricky Riccitelli who made the switch from Hawke’s Bay to Taranaki in the off-season after playing a leading role with the Hurricanes.
While it took a while for the Taranaki lineout to function to a respectable standard, Riccitelli’s all-round game had been ultra consistent.
Not surprisingly, first fiveeighth Stephen Perofeta was named back of the year.
The 20-year-old followed up a quiet Super Rugby season with the Blues, when he was not afforded too many opportunities after returning from a long-term foot injury, with a number of quality displays.
Taranaki assistant coach Willie Rickards has talked about his growing maturity and that was evident in his running game, his ability to make the right decisions and his under-rated defence.
Long-serving coach Cooper was given a standing ovation when he received the Peter Crawford Trophy for dedication to service.