"He might be Wellington's favourite son," All Blacks hooker Dane Coles said of his Hurricanes teammate and man of the moment Ardie Savea after the 22-year-old's latest exploits in the capital. "Snakey [Conrad Smith] has gone and no one likes me so Ardie Savea, yeah."
Coles does a nice line in self deprecation, but he is of course selling himself extremely short. Plenty will like him for the way he plays and, increasingly, his performances in front of a microphone, and at the top of the list in terms of the increasing impact he is having on tests might be All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
The 29-year-old was outstanding in the 36-22 victory over Wales at Westpac Stadium, proving once again that he is a No 2 almost without peer in the world game.
Rejuvenated England hooker Dylan Hartley is getting headlines across the Tasman for his performances and leadership in sealing a test series against the Wallabies, but the tough Rotorua-born player doesn't have the overall game that Coles has.