GALLAGHER CHIEFS 
The WeTalkRugby Rating weighs international caps, age against the peak for the position, captaincy, club strength and the strength of the international side.
Across 7 tracked matches: 147 metres from 54 carries, 1 clean breaks, 5 offloads and a 91% tackle success rate (64 made).
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About Tupou Vaa’i
Tupou Vaai is a 198cm lock who New Zealand have repeatedly used at blindside flanker, and the versatility has been both his value and his obstacle.
He is an unusual athlete for the size — genuinely mobile in the wider channels, comfortable handling, and a reliable lineout option in both jerseys. That combination is why coaches keep moving him, and why he has sometimes been the player who fills the gap rather than the player the team is built around.
He came through the Chiefs and has been a regular since he was 20.
His Test career has run alongside the end of the Retallick and Whitelock era, which has meant the second row moving from the most settled unit in the side to one of the least.
He was born in 2000 and has been in and around the All Blacks squad for most of his adult life, which is easy to forget given how young he still is.
His best rugby is probably still ahead of the 2027 cycle rather than behind it.
