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Malakai Fekitoa: World Rugby’s Emerging Star of 2014
Published: December 31, 2014
When we speak of emerging stars, we're not speaking exclusively of younger stars, either—although Fekitoa is still a babe at just 22—but of players who came out of the wilderness and showed an entirely new quality.
Considering we are of the understanding that New Zealand are the best team in the world at present, the centre star did an amazing job this year in escaping the restrictions placed ahead of him to win his first caps for the All Blacks.
After failing to make an appearance for the Blues in 2013, Fekitoa moved to the Highlanders for the 2014 season and the rest, as they say, is history. Speaking on his departure from Auckland, per 3News, the back said:
It means everything to me [New Zealand selection]. It's massive I don't know how to explain it, but I cried when I heard about it. It was hard to leave and I thought that was going to be it for me. I just started training hard and started talking to the coaches about how they could help me. It's worked out in the end.
"Worked out" is putting it mildly. John Kirwan may have failed to see or make use of the talent who lay among his ranks, but Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph made no such mistake and was rewarded for his faith in 2014.
As OptaJason illustrated, Fekitoa's 2014 season statistics in terms of defenders beaten show his knack for spotting the gaps in defence, an enigmatic trait of his which was allowed to prosper over the past 12 months:
Highlanders attack coach Tony Brown has undoubtedly also lent a hand in seeing to it that Fekitoa thrives around a setup that works around him in aspects, developing fine understandings with the likes of Ben Smith and Lima Sopoaga.
Nowhere has the centre's potential for flash-i...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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