Folau Fakatava’s late-season form lines up MVP medal chance

Folau Fakatava after scoring a try against North Harbour in Round 3 of this year's NPC, the halfback's first start in the No 9 jersey for the Magpies this year. Photo / Kerry Marshall - Photosport

Hawke’s Bay Magpies halfback Folau Fakatava is in line for a possible second NPC most valuable player title after being named one of three finalists.

Fakatava, who turns 26 next month, is currently in the UK with All Blacks back-up squad the All Blacks XV.

He has been a Magpie since 2018 and previously won the MVP’s Duane Monkley Medal in 2021.

He was also a finalist last year, when the medal was claimed by Tasman wing Timoci Tavatavanawai.

Having been a substitute off the bench in three of the first four games in a season of 12 matches for the Magpies, he lines up against fellow 2024 finalist and Taranaki first five-eighths Josh Jacomb, one of just two players to score more than 100 points in this year’s competition, and Canterbury and All Blacks lock Sam Darry.

The finalists are decided based on points awarded game-by-game by Sky TV commentators.

In what was the 50th NPC season, it was the 20th year for the medal.

It has not been won by any other Hawke’s Bay player, and the winners include players from all 14 NPC premiership teams, except Wellington.

Uniquely, Fakatava is one of three Hawke’s Bay players in line for MVP awards, with two among the three finalists for the Ian Kirkpatrick Medal in Heartland rugby.

They are Keanu Taumata, the Poverty Bay captain and loose forward from Wairoa club Tapuae, and Havelock North player Sam Walton-Sexton, who played for Wairarapa-Bush and as halfback scored the extra-time try that buried Poverty Bay’s hopes of a Meads Cup semi-final.

Walton-Sexton is currently in Samoa with the national Heartland XV, for which Taumata was unavailable because of injury.

The New Zealand Rugby Awards will be presented on December 11.