Marks out of 10: Kiwi rookies make presence felt
The Brisbane Tens might be a preseason event lacking star power, but it is also an ideal place for up and comers to stamp their mark and push their case for the Super Rugby competition ahead.
And there has been no shortage of uncapped Kiwi players doing just that at Suncorp Stadium, with these five catching the eye:
CALEB CLARKE (BLUES)
The son of former All Blacks centre Eroni Clarke is beginning to make a rather large impression on the rugby scene in very quick time.
Having featured for the New Zealand under-20s and Auckland last year, the 1.89m, 107kg winger was then in great touch for the New Zealand Sevens team in Sydney and Hamilton, and those hulking legs and classy touches were again evident in Brisbane for the Blues.
With nice jinks, a good turn of pace, and a solid bump off, he was outstanding, highlighted by a hattrick against the Rebels. Not just a finisher, he set up his mates really well, his fine reading of play making him a great prospect.
BAILYN SULLIVAN (CHIEFS)
Not part of the Chiefs’ Super Rugby squad, and not even named in their initial list for Brisbane, the 19-yearold Waikato centre/winger showed what the franchise may be eyeing up in the future.
Tall and lean, with pace to burn and lovely distribution in the tackle, a bright future looms for the former King’s College student.
In the match against Pau he was on the end of an audacious between-the-legs pass from Shaun Stevenson and sped down the lefthand touch to score, then after the fulltime siren he showed nice vision to grubber and regather and unselfishly pass inside to Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi after getting into the in-goal.
ALEX FIDOW (HURRICANES)
Eye-catching haircut and eyecatching ball-in-hand work from the big Wellington tighthead prop, showing how fearsome he could be in his debut Super Rugby season.
After being a whopping 142kg while at school, the 20-year-old has shredded around 20kg and become more mobile, with his high activity on the park in Brisbane a decent result of that.
The carries of the former New Zealand under-20s rep were immense, and though he did spend time in the sin bin for a high shot against Fiji, he more than made up for it with those strong charges, and even nimble hands to pluck an intercept. Better yet was to come when he hung on the right wing against the Brumbies and bagged two tries.
ETHAN BLACKADDER (CRUSADERS)
The son of former All Black and Crusaders coach and player Todd, the 22-year-old has showed some great signs of his own.
In a game made for the flyers out wide with the fancy footwork, the Tasman flanker did all the basics right to help his dominant side, with some lovely vision, presence of mind and skill execution.
Early against the Hurricanes he took a tough catch round the ankles of his 1.92m frame and did well to reach out and score, then against the Brumbies his lovely catch and pass for Jone Macilai shows why he’s made his way into the Super Rugby defending champions’ squad.
TEVITA NABURA (HIGHLANDERS)
Decked out in highlighter green, the towering presence out wide was hard to miss, but certainly made a massive impact.
The 25-year-old Fijian-born winger has landed his first Super Rugby contract, and could be a real weapon if he gets game time.
At 1.95m and 107kg he’s big and rangy. He dotted down out wide against the Chiefs before seemingly tying up the match well after the hooter only for the TMO to rob him of his glory. But he literally proved a matchwinner against the Waratahs by finishing in the corner to seal a great comeback win.