He can jump from bridges to the top of double-decker buses and climb tall buildings in the blink of an eye. In the 1997 Hollywood science fiction film saga Men in Black, a young detective played by Will Smith attracts the attention of veteran agent Tommy Lee Jones by chasing a fast-moving stranger in a human mask. As he pulls on the eponymous black suit, he can say with some justification ‘what’s the difference between you and me? I make this look good.’
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If he was as open as Will Smith, Hurricanes back rower Peter Lakai could say the same very, very soon. He’s already the best number seven on the shaky islands, and he might be the best number eight. He is already doing the unthinkable, offering Kiwi supporters a glimpse of life without Ardie Save, one of the greatest back-row hybrids of the professional era.
Those New Zealand fans can contemplate ‘life without Ardie’ with some peace of mind for the first time in a long, long time with the versatile Wellingtonian around the world All black people. Among the high-quality array of young back-row talent emerging in New Zealand – including Anton Segner, Wallace Sititi, Lucas Casey, Oli Mathis and Semisi Ta’eilo – the 23-year-old of mixed Ghanaian and Tongan ethnicity stands out.
Lakai has many of the same qualities as Savea, but he is already a little bigger – a centimeter taller and five kilograms heavier. The Saint Patrick’s Silverstream alumnus graduated to New Zealand Under-20s in 2022-23, where he rose from Junior All Blacks co-captain to regular senior starter in just three years.
On an ill-fated tour last November, he drew rave reviews from both sides of the ball from head coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson’s top assistant, Scott Hansen:
“Oh, this was so enjoyable, wasn’t it? He’s such a mature young man and there’s a great presence around his game,” Hansen told Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport show.
“He’s a natural baller, the way he can present himself to the ball, how he adjusts the line as a ball carrier. He has some of those qualities that can’t be coached. He’s a natural baller.”
“He’s just a wonderful rugby player, a fantastic young man: his timing at the breakdown, his understanding (of when) and how to put pressure on the ball.”
His versatility, his athleticism – I’m going to put him in rarefied air in terms of athleticism. He looks like a young Michael Jones to me.
Hansen and Robertson may have faded into distant memory, but the rise and rise of Lakai only blossomed with the arrival of Dave Rennie. Injuries to Luke Jacobson and Ethan Blackadder may have opened the door, but Lakai has come through without question, to the point where Sky Sport NZ’s chief pundit for The Breakdown, Jeff Wilson, is already somewhat grandly touting him as ‘the best number seven in the world’.
“The best openside winger in the world is Peter Lakai,” Wilson said. “This is a generational athlete at the age of 23. Coincidentally, due to injury, he has now dropped to the openside position, playing number eight (and number six in the RGR) for the All Blacks as well.
“His versatility, his athleticism — I’ll put him in rarefied air in terms of athleticism. To me, he looks like a young Michael Jones.”
“He’s got that kind of range, that kind of skill, that kind of ball tracking, decision making, physicality – this is a guy who could be in the All Blacks for the next 10 years. He’s the first guy I’d put in the team sheet with Jordie Barrett. Those are two guys.
“He’s a generational talent and we should be celebrating him. He’s a quiet, reserved guy, he’s not going to be celebrated. That means it’s up to us in the media to tell you and show you how good he is.”
‘Goldie’ may be a little carried away, but she’s not wrong. An old favorite of Rennie’s from his Chiefs days, Jacobson was picked ahead of Lakai at the start of RGR’s series against the world champions, but by the end of that series the younger man had proved his point on both sides of the ball:
Why is Lakai a better option than Jacobson in the New Zealand blue belt position, a position previously held by two knights of the realm in Sir Michael Jones and Sir Richie McCaw? Like those two legends, the answer lies in his ability to multi-task and expand the notion of what an open flank role can be.
One of the highlights of Ireland’s 2022 tour of New Zealand was the dominance Josh van der Flier established over Sam Cane. ‘Slammin’ Sam’ filled New Zealand’s traditional number seven role, making inroads in defense and clearing endless holes in attack, doing an unprecedented job. But the Leinsterman matched him in both areas, adding an extra ball carrier in attack, releasing the ball between two and three times more per game than their rivals.
Overnight, or at least in the space of one hot month in July, the position grew exponentially, and planet rugby began to look for bigger, more versatile athletes on the open side of the scrum. Latest statistics for Nations Championship reinforce the view that Lakai can do everything Jacobson did, adding a significant new dimension with the ball in hand:
Jacobson is good, but Lakai is much better. The Chiefs man can carry the ball inside but doesn’t have the same strength and dynamism as his Hurricanes rival. And when the ball moves into wider channels, Wellington it offers far more value than Waikato. Lakai passes and supports better than Jacobson.
Set the clock back to Scotland game against New Zealand at Murrayfield in 2025 and Lakai was one of the main reasons the Silver Ferns held on to beat the Saltiers in a tough game. The 23-year-old led the game’s try-scorers at Murrayfield with 21, grabbing two turnovers for the All Blacks after breaking down during his 80-minute stint on the field.
A year later he showed his mastery in the role that Van der Flier first perfected Leinster and Ireland, playing in a scrum-half role from the line. New Zealand scored the first try of the game from a set-piece with Lakai as a ‘+1’ insert playing behind the line:
https://t.co/Ui6JUhviZo
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 8, 2026
Lakai escapes from the maul with a fake carry that convinces the entire Scotland defense on the edge of the set to follow him, opening the way for his back-line colleague Wallace Sititi to score easily straight down the middle.
That performance was just one of the options the All Blacks could explore with Lakai as he starred at half-half from the first period:
https://t.co/0ji6jonnff
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 8, 2026
https://t.co/VuIw4WxYSE
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 8, 2026
With the number seven moving from the base of the line instead of a nominal scrum-half, it allows Cam Roigard to switch to first receiver and immediately expand the focus of the attack, with four simple passes giving the ever-dangerous Will Jordan freedom of movement down the right and taking the play all the way to the Scotland goal line at one stage of the game.
The second clip is a great example of a quick strike, where the ball never reaches Codie Taylor’s whore in the third layer, even though he was then credited with the score. Instead, the ball stays with Lakai and the Wellington man fires up the engine after taking the ball from Scott Barrett at the front of the line. It’s another role that Van der Flier designed with Leinster and Ireland, and Lakai’s power may have just taken it to the next level.
New Zealand’s final score in the lineup game illustrated the young star’s versatility and handling ability to perfection:
https://t.co/Bh5OTV2eUB
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 8, 2026
On this line Anton Segner replaced Lakai in the ‘+1’ role, the Hurricane hybrid going all the way from midfield to the first receiver on the short side, before delivering a superbly weighted pass to his clubmate Assaf Aumua, with just a hint of critical forward before tucking in the defender with a double pump.
Lakai already looks good in black, as if the suit was made to measure. The only thing missing is the dark glasses. He can play six, seven or eight, and could probably do a decent center if needed, so he’s a man for all hybrid seasons. If former All Blacks winger Jeff Wilson is to be believed, he comes fully armed with Michael Jones-type athleticism and is already the best flanker in the world. That’s high praise indeed, and it might even be enough to keep Ardie Savea out of the starting line-up for the World Cup at the end of 2027. Or the two could play together, and that would be the stuff of nightmares for opponents across the rugby world.