NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Marino Mikaele Tu'u - The Highlanders breakout who could take Log o' Wood from Otago

By Thomas Airey
Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Sep, 2020 09:16 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Marino Mikaele Tu'u is focused on Sunday's big game, where Hawke's Bay will challenge Otago for the Ranfurly Shield. Photo / Paul Taylor

Marino Mikaele Tu'u is focused on Sunday's big game, where Hawke's Bay will challenge Otago for the Ranfurly Shield. Photo / Paul Taylor

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hawke's Bay Magpies loose forward Marino Mikaele-Tu'u knows you can throw away all form and recent history heading into a Ranfurly Shield challenge.

His side are heading down to Dunedin to play Otago for the Log o' Wood on Sunday afternoon in the final game of Week Four of the Mitre 10 Cup.

And Mikaele-Tu'u said by far the biggest factor in who emerges victorious will be mindset.

"The team that wants it most will eventually lift that trophy at the end of the game."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Having played in one previous Shield challenge against Waikato back in 2018, the 23-year-old also knows to expect a hugely physical encounter in which everyone needs to be on their game.

It will be a strange sort of homecoming for Mikaele-Tu'u, who wrapped up his third season of Super Rugby for the Highlanders earlier this year.

He said that gives him the advantage of knowing how to play under the roof of Forsyth Barr Stadium, which is a bit different to playing anywhere else.

Mikaele-Tu'u certainly made the most of that knowledge during a breakthrough Super Rugby Aotearoa season in which he led all players in offloads, while also rating in the top 10 for carries, clean breaks and metres gained.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He played a lot of his rugby for the Highlanders in the wider channels of the field by design of the team's game-plan, with the coaches looking to set him up against smaller opponents.

Mikaele-Tu'u said the Magpies game plan isn't the same, but those game "pictures" where he can express himself out wide still arise at times.

Discover more

Racing

$81-1 winner hoping to stun in Hastings again

30 Sep 07:20 AM
Sport

Napier Boys' rugby prospect earns national recognition

30 Sep 09:49 PM
New Zealand

Marg Hiha - a woman of her time, a woman ahead of her time

30 Sep 02:06 AM

"I feel as the games go along, and I get a feel of how we're getting along it'll come," he said.

Magpies loose forward Marino Mikaele Tu'u shows how much he is enjoying the season so far. Photo / Paul Taylor
Magpies loose forward Marino Mikaele Tu'u shows how much he is enjoying the season so far. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hastings Rugby & Sports Club man said the Mitre 10 Cup season is going well so far though.

"I always enjoy my footy coming back home and playing with a few of the old boys."

His aforementioned standout Super Rugby season put Mikaele-Tu'u in the conversation for higher honours, and some have tipped the loose forward to be in line for a callup should the All Blacks add players to their Rugby Championship squad.

He said there were always whispers like that floating around and he tries not to focus on all the chatter.

"If it happens it happens, but right now I'm just focused on Hawke's Bay and putting in a good performance."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Magpies will certainly need one from their rising star if they are to take the Ranfurly Shield off Otago on Sunday.

Kickoff in Dunedin is at 4.35pm.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

All Blacks

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

06 Jul 03:00 AM
Warriors

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM
Premium
Opinion

Gregor Paul: Progress or stalling? All Blacks' key challenge in new season

06 Jul 12:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

06 Jul 03:00 AM

Four new faces earned their first caps in Dunedin, but fixes will be needed in Wellington.

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM
Premium
Gregor Paul: Progress or stalling? All Blacks' key challenge in new season

Gregor Paul: Progress or stalling? All Blacks' key challenge in new season

06 Jul 12:00 AM
Junior Tall Blacks fall to US at U19 World Cup

Junior Tall Blacks fall to US at U19 World Cup

05 Jul 10:58 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP