Waikato confidence is no mere trick

Richard Kahui

Waikato have produced eye-catching rugby this season. After a stumble in Warren Gatland's first campaign, there has been a confidence in their play this time round which made them top qualifier for this weekend's quarter-finals.

Among some powerful contributions from several players, including loose forwards Liam Messam, Marty Holah, Steven Bates and Sione Lauaki, and backs Sitiveni Sivivatu, David Hill, Brendon Leonard and Stephen Donald, the contribution of 21-year-old Richard Kahui could escape notice.

Five players sit on top of the individual tryscorers list going into the quarter-finals. Tasman's Australian import Peter Playford won't add to his six, but Sivivatu, Messam, Kahui plus Wellington's Cory Jane can.

Kahui has caught the eye with his speed and ability to make use of a gap.

He scored two fine tries in the crucial early win over Canterbury, which put early momentum into the campaign, bagged three when Northland were done on a wet afternoon in Hamilton and another in the first-half demolition of North Harbour last Sunday.

It hasn't all been high fives and touchdowns, however.

Against Auckland, when Waikato squandered a 19-0 halftime lead to draw 22-all, a belt on the nose had Kahui on and off like a kitchen tap.

There's no disguising Waikato are on a roll ahead of Southland's visit tomorrow night.

"The team is gelling quite well this year," Kahui said yesterday.

"Last year we were under a bit of pressure, trying to learn the new ideas and concepts the coaches had in mind. The guys are a lot more confident in what they're doing, everyone is on the same page and that's contributed a lot to the way we're playing now."

Kahui made his Waikato debut in 2004, making 10 appearances at centre.

He had a further nine, mostly on the wing last year, and got picked up by the Highlanders in the Super 14 draft making several appearances, again on the wing.

Expect him to figure in the Chiefs' plans next year, but Kahui is quick to acknowledge he has plenty of work to do in his rugby development.

"The biggest thing I've learned is to let the little things go, forgetting what I'd done and move on," he said yesterday. "In my first year I was pretty hard on myself. If I made a mistake it would weigh me down for the whole game.

"The other thing is I've learned a lot more about myself and what I am capable of, so I've picked up a bit more confidence."

Kahui has completed a four-year building apprenticeship and is working through his bookwork to get his qualification.

Smart thinking, given that apart from Nostradamus, palm readers and fairground quacks, no one has yet figured out a way to see the future.

He praised the Waikato union's work in ensuring players plan for the years ahead.

This year, Kahui helped win the Churchill Cup with New Zealand Maori in June - scoring a try in the 52-17 final win over Scotland A in San Francisco - then made an unscheduled flight to Paris to help out an injury-hit Colts team ahead of their world championship semifinal against South Africa.

"I played the Maori final, went to sleep, woke up and was on the next plane to France."

There was no happy ending, however, the South Africans winning 40-23.

Mention the All Blacks and Kahui reckons he's well off the pace. Sound judges beg to differ and a strong finish to this Waikato campaign would have Kahui not the longest of long shots for the end-of-year tour to Britain and France.

"Realistically I don't think that's in line for me at the moment. I've still got a lot of development, a lot of things to work on before I start looking that far ahead."

There are good things happening in Waikato right now. Certainly David Hill is off to Bristol at the end of the cup, and other significant contributors such as Steven Bates, Jono Gibbes, Marty Holah and Byron Kelleher won't be round forever.

But coming through there's a good core of talent. A backline including impressive halfback Brendon Leonard, former Colt and New Zealand A first five-eighths Donald, the tidy utility Dwayne Sweeney, William Ripia, Kahui, Sivivatu and Mils Muliaina has a classy look to it.

Loose forwards Lauaki, Messam and Stephen Setephano, locks Toby Lynn and Mark Burman and props Aled de Malmanche , Nathan White and Craig West all help paint a rosy picture for the future.

Kahui should be in the vanguard of that movement.