KEY POINTS:
Kurtis Haiu doesn't just play above his weight, he also plays above his height.
At just 1.95m (6ft 4in in old money), Haiu is on the short side for a lock. Actually, he's more on the diminutive side.
But what the 23-year-old lacks in stature, he more than
makes up for in athleticism, says Auckland coach Pat Lam.
Haiu has been more or less a fixture in an Auckland pack that has been put through its share of rotations this season. And when Lam's coaching team perform their post-match statistical assessment, Haiu invariably comes out near the top.
After a mixed 2006, when he made his Super 14 debut but failed to earn a repeat contract, Lam believes Haiu has taken his game to a new level.
"The thing with Kurtis is that if you make him feel part of the team, he is a different sort of beast," Lam says.
"He thrives on contact and the aggression side of things.
"Last week he had 25 tackles and 15 hit-ups. He is consistently in the top one or two carriers of the ball. Then you go and look at the video and you see the damage he does. I'd say he has got one of the toughest attitudes out there."
Tough, yes. Mobile, yes. But tall enough to succeed as a lock at the highest level?
"I am probably one of the shorter locks in New Zealand but I do what I can to make up for that lack of height," Haiu says.
"I try to get around the field more, get the ball in hand and be quicker in the lineouts."
So far that approach has produced three tries in this year's campaign and a string of rave reviews from Lam.
"I've been championing his cause for a while now," says Lam.
"He is not your six-foot-eight massive guy, but I believe lock is a job description. It is not about the size of the person.
"At lineout time he is one of the quickest off the ground. I don't think he's been beaten at the front of the lineout because of his natural ability."
That leaping ability was also prominent in his schoolboy days when he made the East Auckland representative basketball team only to opt out to play rugby for Sacred Heart's first XV.
But Haiu is more than just a good jumper, says Lam.
"You want the hard yards at ruck time, that's him to a tee. And you've just got to ask the props about the amount of weight he puts in the scrums.
"You might look at him and think he's not got a future at lock but when you look at the job description, he is outstanding.
"He was more noticeable the last couple of years because he used to have that big afro. He's probably not so noticeable this year to the natural eye but, when you look at the video and you see the amount of work he does off the ball, it doesn't surprise me he is in position to score tries.
"I'd be very surprised if he doesn't get a Super 14 contract. He was disappointed he missed out this year. But it is a testimony to him that he has gone away and worked hard. I was pleased with him the last couple of years but now he has stepped it up to a new level."
Very much from the "my success is all down to the efforts of my teammates" mold, it's doubtful Haiu will ever grace the after-dinner speaking circuit.
He's hopeful his efforts will propel him into the Blues but, having missed out this year, he's far from counting his chickens.
"I am just focusing on NPC at the moment. I am enjoying this and I don't want to look too far ahead. I figure if I just focus on the here and now then that should come later."
And the afro - any chance of a comeback?
"You never know eh? But I might keep it short. There were too many people pulling my hair. I'm enjoying the short look at the moment."
