Hair's to a big future, Kurtis

What Kurtis Haiu lacks in height he makes up for in strength and technique. Shaun Botterill / Getty Images

Of course he catches the eye. Any bloke with a monstrous mane is bound to attract the photographic attention normally reserved for the dreadlocks of Tana Umaga or Rodney So'oialo.

That is the superficial sideshow about Kurtis Haiu, the young Auckland lock who is making such a decent impression in his first season of NPC rugby.

His statistics are not striking, certainly not for a lock. Haiu is only as tall as loose forward team-mates Justin Collins and Angus Macdonald.

But he is strong in the air at lineouts and kickoffs, hits rucks and defensive work with plenty of heat and often figures with deft touches in the open.

"He has an explosive plumb jump, he goes straight up and attacks the ball and he is so quick," Auckland development coach Geoff Moon said.

"With his cardio fitness and his strength he can also play at six. He is now in the right shape to play as a loosie as well but his aerial skills are so good that he is equally at home at lock."

Haiu's rugby history had been impeccable, playing for the national secondary schools, under-19s and colts sides. He was in the colts team which beat Ireland in last June's final to win the international crown.

"I was only on for a minute as a substitute, I hit a maul, it rolled over and I broke my leg," he recalled.

Haiu still carries six screws and a plate in the injury and was unable to resume rugby until April this year, an interlude which probably counted against his reselection for the colts.

But Auckland blessed their fortune when they needed help with Ali Williams away on test duty.

Ask Haiu his positional preference and he nominates flanker so he "does not have to get into too many of those scrums and can run around a bit more".

The 21-year-old was born in Whangarei but his genealogy links him to the Wallis Islands group north of Tonga. He followed two older brothers to Sacred Heart College in Auckland as a boarder where he made the 1st XV in the fourth form.

After school, Haiu joined the Marist club and this season was the premier side's MVP and won the club trophy as the player of the year.

"He is a quiet sort of person, he does not say much but he is a worker, he just gets on with the business," coach Steve McHardy said.

"He is a very intelligent player at the breakdown, he is very strong at decision-making. He has excellent skills in the air, but I think what hits me is how constructive he is at the breakdown. His impact at the breakdown is probably his best asset.

"Even though he doesn't say much, what he lacks in words he makes up in what he does on the field," McHardy said.

"The challenge will be when there is a bit more detail available on him and the other sides can do their analysis, particularly at lineout time. But defensively his skill level for a lock is pretty good."

In his first year out of school Haiu joined the Auckland High Performance Academy and was also hired by Mark Jamieson, the managing director of Adhesif Print.

Every second year, Jamieson agreed to employ a young Auckland player, with previous assistance for Bryce Williams and John Afoa.

The scheme, said Moon, was a massive boost for Haiu, who had drifted a little after school. The job taught him skills and disciplines which he then applied to his rugby.

"Kurtis has gone from being an at-risk person to a rock-solid professional. He could always play rugby but he lacked a bit of direction.

"He is one of these guys that coaches look at and go, 'Shall I pick him?' and they do and he becomes their first choice quickly. He is a good person, as tough as they come and he will never let you down."