Countdown to the greatest: Superstars of NZ Super Rugby

We are almost at the finish line. For some teams, it might be able to work out who will be No 1 when we reveal the full list next weekend, or maybe not. But for now, let’s celebrate more icons of New Zealand Super Rugby.

Once again, Marc Hinton has compiled the top-10 list for the Blues, Aaron Goile the Chiefs, Phillip Rollo the Hurricanes, Robert van Royen the Crusaders and it’s Paul Cully for the Highlanders.

BLUES Keven Mealamu 2000-15 – 164 games

They don’t come much finer, much more consistent, or much more durable than this fabulous no-nonsense hooker who was as strong as an ox, but had the skills of a midfield back. Nor any harder-hitting. Still comfortably tops the list for most capped Blues’ players of all time (at 164, plus another 11 for the Chiefs in the 2002 season), Mealamu was quite simply a marvel for his home-town franchise over a period where the team wasn’t always dominant (they won just one title in his era), but he always was. Went on to play 132 tests for the All Blacks in a career spanning 14 seasons. Always played hard, and carried hard, and was an outstanding all-round No 2, nailing set-piece, excelling with ball-in-hand, destructive on defence and developing into a leader everyone respected. One of the game’s class acts. Dignified in a man-of-the-people type style. Played with a smile, even while crunching you in a withering tackle. Has stayed involved since his retirement, excelling as an ambassador figure who connects with the grassroots.

CHIEFS

Brodie Retallick 2012-2019, 2022-2023 – 125 games

As new coach Dave Rennie revealed his roster for his first season in charge of the Chiefs in 2012, a New Zealand Under-20s rep by the name of Brodie Retallick was part of the wave of recruited players. And what a catch he

turned out to be. Little known at the time, the Rangiora-born, Christchurch-schooled, Hawke’s Bay second-rower didn’t take long to make a huge impression, massively repaying the faith of Chiefs forwards coach Tom Coventry, who was responsible for his signing. Immediately setting the tone of the new hardedged Chiefs pack with his mean physicality and huge workrate, Retallick was central to the team turning the heat up on the Crusaders in successive semis to claim the first two titles in their history, and earned All Blacks selection even before his maiden Super season was out. Having skipped two seasons while on sabbatical in Japan, Retallick has returned to play a key role in the two seasons since, and will leave a huge void when he jets back to Kobe after this year’s World Cup.

HURRICANES Tana Umaga 1996-2007, 122 games

A proud Samoan from Wainuiomata, the dreadlocked Tana Umaga was a foundation Hurricane and the face of the franchise for its first decade. A try-scoring wing when he first burst on the scene, at one stage Umaga formed a world-class back three with Christian Cullen and Jonah Lomu, but later developed into a world-class centre, powerful on both sides of the ball and a turnover threat at the breakdown. His mana was such that he became a major influence on the next generation of Hurricanes’ stars, notably Jerry Collins, Ma’a Nonu and Neemia Tialata. The first Hurricane to reach 100 games, Umaga scored 47

tries in 122 appearances and 36 tries in 74 tests for the All Blacks. Will be forever revered for being the first player of Pacific Island heritage to captain the All Blacks, in 2004-05.

CRUSADERS Sam Whitelock 2011-2023 – 179

Only loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett (203 games) has played more games for the Crusaders than workhorse lock Sam Whitelock, the heart-and-soul of their engine room for more than a decade. The only current Crusader to have played at Lancaster Park before it was destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake, the 34-year-old played under Richie McCaw and Kieran Read’s captaincy before coach Scott Robertson handed him the role in 2017. One of four Whitelock brothers to represent the franchise, he promptly led the team to their first crown since 2008, when they recorded a famous win over the Lions in Johannesburg. The Crusaders made it a three-peat under Whitelock in 2019, before Scott Barrett took over the captaincy. Not that Whitelock stopped leading. A lineout master, as was evident when he destroyed the Blues in last year’s final, he’s been instrumental in their three most recent titles. His leadership, lineout prowess, cool under pressure, and knack for making crunch plays, will be sorely missed when he departs at the end of the season.

HIGHLANDERS Ben Smith 2009-2019 – 153 games

The brilliant fullback is one of Otago’s favourite sons – with good reason. As a complete No 15, he was as reliable and brave on defence as he was incisive with ball in hand, but he carried himself with humility throughout a storied career, that included the 2015 Rugby World Cup win with the All Blacks. Even to this day, Smith is the guy who opens doors for others at Highlanders HQ, where he has a part-time coaching role. Smith scored 39 tries in 153 for the Highlanders, but the statistics will never do justice to his all-round contribution. In tandem with halfback Aaron Smith, he gave the Highlanders a world-class cutting edge on attack, and his ability to carry the ball back from the fullback position was peerless. A ferocious competitor, Smith also cocaptained the Highlanders to the 2015 Super Rugby triumph and defines what a good Highlanders player should look like, on and off the field.