By Bruce Holloway and Adam Julian
The role of the fullback in rugby has changed significantly since the Home Nations Championship (now known as the Six Nations) was established in 1883.
Indeed, only three tries were scored by fullbacks across the whole championship prior to 1969. According to rugby historian John Griffiths, it was the worldwide adoption of the current law restricting direct kicking into touch in September 1968 (a law previously used in Australia) which “revolutionised fullback play”.
However, today the rugby fullback is not only a team’s last line of defence, but a key player in launching counter-attacks, requiring excellent ball-handling skills, the ability to kick tactically, make overlapping runs and display an instinctive ability to read the game.
Fullbacks need speed, vision, tactical awareness and the communication skills to organise their team’s defence.
Over the past six decades, rugby has been blessed with attacking brilliance in the No 15 jersey, with New Zealand talents such as Christian Cullen, Ben Smith and Will Jordan at the forefront.
And if 2025 First XV rugby is anything to go by, that trend is set to continue. Here are 10 fullbacks who caught our eye this season.
Few First XV players have ever had to live up to the degree of hype that has surrounded King’s College fullback Calvin Harris-Tavita this year. The 16-year-old was hailed by media across the Ditch as “the next Benji Marshall” and considered to be further advanced than his older brother, Warriors star Chanel Harris-Tavita, was at a similar stage of life.
So there are massive expectations. Though anybody worried about a schoolboy being overexposed should note there is also a degree of self-promotion insofar as he has cultivated well over 12,000 followers on TikTok.
However the bottom line is Harris-Tavita can be mesmerising with ball in hand, with more tricks than a Bond car. But rugby fans shouldn’t get too excited. King’s have just been keeping him warm for league and the Brisbane Broncos in the coming years, with sources saying he won’t now be returning to school next year.
Tokoaitua Owen is another emerging fullback well within the Brisbane Broncos’ orbit. He could sidestep a barn door, as he showed when he won a tense Chiefs regional final against wholehearted Wesley College with two opportunistic tries, having become more elusive and brazen as the season progressed.
His try in the National Top Four final against Feilding High School was remarkable as he swerved past five defenders and dashed 40m, showcasing one of the best efforts seen in the national decider since it began in 1982. Just minutes earlier, the relatively lightweight Owen had bravely prevented a probable try by stopping rampaging Feilding No 8 Rupeni Raviyawa. Owens would be a nightmare for defenders on a sevens or touch pitch.
Lindisfarne College
For better or worse (but probably worse), Noah Rogers this season found himself christened Le Freak by an enthralled disco-era-aged spectator, a reference to the 1979 Chic classic written by the similarly named Nile Rodgers.
Like his namesake, Rogers also found his own funky, energetic groove this year and became a game-changer for a vastly improved, enchantingly expansive Lindisfarne College (and also played in a host of positions other than fullback).
Now he’s become the first Lindisfarne player since Israel Dagg in 2006 to make the New Zealand Schools team. Bright and engaging, Rogers already studies university-level statistics and is also a representative for New Zealand in age-group softball. He has signed with the Chiefs for 2026.
Christ’s College
Gavin Holder is the closest thing to Damian McKenzie to come out of Christ’s College since, erm, McKenzie himself. Holder particularly sparkled in the “College Game” against Christchurch Boys’ High School. After overcoming an injury, Holder inspired Christ’s with an improbable run of four consecutive victories, lifting the side from seventh in the Miles Toyota Premiership to runners-up. His three tries in a 46-24 win against St Thomas of Canterbury College in the quarter-finals alone were worthy of an entire season’s highlight reel.
Tauranga Boys’ College
Nicknamed “Ethereal” due to his agility, grace and racehorse-like speed (Ethereal won the 2001 Melbourne Cup), Tommy McQuoid achieved the remarkable feat of scoring at least one try in every Super 8 game. He also scored four tries against Wellington College, three of which were from beyond halfway.
Palmerston North Boys’ High School
Nicknamed the Piopio Express, Hunter Kennedy consistently scored long-range tries, with his most memorable efforts coming against St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, Hamilton Boys’ High School, and just before halftime in the Super 8 final against Rotorua Boys’ High School.
Equally compelling was his defence, where his last-ditch efforts often prevented crises. He could teach Ethan Hunt of Mission Impossible fame a thing or two about defusing situations.
Feilding High School
Enjoyed a stellar season for the Central North Island champions and National Top Four runners-up and was rewarded with a berth in the New Zealand Barbarian Under-18s. Powerful, busy and elusive, he appeared in 40 matches for his First XV, scoring 19 tries.
Westlake Boys’ High School
For someone relatively lightly built, Ollie Davies has a prodigious boot to go with his keen sense of positioning. He mopped up like a powerful disinfectant in the Blues’ regional final victory against King’s College. He’s the school sport captain – and also quick. He won the senior 100m final at Westlake this year.
St Patrick’s College, Silverstream
William Davis-Lenz cuts a dapper figure while serving delicacies in his part-time job as a waiter at the renowned Janus Bakkerij in High Street, Lower Hutt. Silverstream’s co-captain also dished up some sweet play for the Wellington Premiership champions, scoring seven tries and engineering several others with his panoramic vision and incisive running. His father, Karl Davis, was Silverstream’s affable assistant coach.
Manakura girls
Blink and you’ll miss Keighley-Rein Araia, who shows an uncanny resemblance to Black Ferns legend Selica Winiata, the only woman in New Zealand to score more than a hundred first-class tries. Araia scored two tries from halfway in a memorable win in a traditional fixture against Wellington powerhouse St Mary’s College, and her hot-stepping was essential for Manakura in breaking down a stubborn Hamilton Girls’ High Schoolin the National Top Four final.
Did you spy a great First XV fullback in 2025? We welcome your views. Email us at nzschoolboyrugby@gmail.com.