Under-rated, but over-achieving

Who was New Zealand rugby's most unheralded performer in 2008? Who deserves plaudits for performances that didn't always make the headlines but certainly got the job done. RugbyHeaven's Marc Hinton and Duncan Johnstone pick their men.

TONY WOODCOCK - Marc Hinton

The stupidest comment of 2008 came from former Wallabies test prop Andrew Blades who described Blues and All Blacks loosehead prop Tony Woodcock as a "myth".

Legend might have been closer to the mark.

It's hard to say what the basis for Blades' comment was, or indeed what the motivation was for coming up with such a provocative assessment on a player who has tormented Australian rugby on a weekly basis over the years.

But it was certainly wide of the mark.

Woodcock, in a time of transition for the New Zealand front row, has provided a foundation stone for the rebuilding process to take place.

The All Black scrum hasn't quite been the dominant force it was around 2005-2007, but it's still a pretty formidable weapon on a consistent basis. And Woodcock is a big part of that.

The unassuming man of the land - he farms out in Helensville - has a raw-boned strength that belies his physique which in this age of the gargantuan front-rower is certainly nothing to write home about.

But Woodcock more than matches the tighthead titans he regularly comes up against by having superior technique, by harnessing the experience he has developed over seven seasons in the test arena and just being a good old-fashioned "hard bugger".

If the Blues had more people who took care of their business with the unassuming efficiency of this guy they would not be the under-achievers they are at Super 14 time.

And he's certainly rated highly by All Blacks coach Graham Henry.

In fact you could say that Woodcock, along with Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ali Williams, Rodney So'oialo and Mils Muliaina, is the first name written down for any significant test match these days.

Woodcock had an especially good time of it this year against the Wallabies (you wonder if Blades was watching through all that egg on his face?), where he threatened to shake off his unheralded tag.

In Auckland - arguably the statement performance of the All Blacks season - Woodcock shook off his role-player tag to grab star billing with two tries, and then followed that up with another in Brisbane when the New Zealanders clinched both the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe silverware.
The hard-nosed loosehead started the year on the injured list, but after making his first appearance off the bench against England in Christchurch he started 11 of the 12 remaining test matches.

Never once did he take a backward step. Never once was he bested in the scrum battle.

The All Blacks may still be searching for Carl Hayman's successor on the tighthead side (maybe even Hayman himself if the whispers are true), and Andrew Hore may still be bedding himself in as the new first-choice hooker.

But in the No 1 jersey there remains no one who does it better, or in more unassuming fashion, than Tony Dale Woodcock. He seldom talks it up, never courts the media and always leaves his statements to the field.

Indeed, his deeds may be mythological, but this guy is very much the real deal in the Blues and All Blacks engine room.

JEROME KAINO - Duncan Johnstone

It's questionable whether anyone had bigger boots to fill this year than Kaino, the softly spoken Aucklander.

Don't forget he was stepping into the place that was controversially vacated by Jerry Collins after the Super 14.

Collins had become a folk hero with his brutal strength and assassin-like qualities in the black No 6 jersey.

So there was a ton of pressure on Kaino as he was handed the opportunity. And that pressure went up when it was remembered that he had had a couple of previous chances at this level but had failed to fulfil his true potential.

So to see him step up to the mark this year has been both a pleasure and a necessity given the lack of top-level experience in general in this vital role.

Kaino has had his challengers this season too with the athletic Adam Thomson, respected youngster Kieran Read and even veteran loosie Rodney So'oialo tried there.

At one stage the selectors toyed with Kaino at No 8 but quickly sensibly moved him back to the blindside where he has carved out his niche.

He's big, he's fast and he complements So'oialo and McCaw well. He's a useful lineout option while around the paddock he tracks the right lines, he's good with the ball in hand but best of all he likes to tackle - in a destructive manner.

No one would argue that some of the biggest hits on the Grand Slam tour came from Kaino. It became obvious that some northern forwards were taking a second look as they carried the ball forward with Kaino in their way.

Before that he had proven his worth against the world champion Springboks and the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations.

At one stage it looked like the biggest headlines Kaino would get were courtesy of his drink-driving misjudgement.

But by season's end Kaino had started 13 of the All Blacks' 15 tests - testimony to his ability and new standing in an environment he treasures.

He has come a long way from the shy youngster who debuted for the All Blacks against the British Barbarians at Twickenham at the end of 2004, the same year he was named as the IRB's under-21 player of the year.

He was a pet project of Graham Henry's then and no one will have taken more delight in his progress this year than Henry and his forwards coach Steve Hansen.

It's taken a while but it seems that Kaino has finally arrived.

In a season where several players regularly fronted with quiet but ruthless efficiency I'd give honourable mentions to Mils Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu, Brad Thorn, Andrew Hore and, for his end of year tour effort, Sitiveni Sivivatu.

 Who were your unheralded players for 2008? Post your comments below.

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