Expected to fill Ma'a Nonu's shoes Ngani Laumape...
.
The first thing you notice about Ngani Laumape is his size.
The Hurricanes new signing is short, 1.77cm, and built like a wrecking ball, close to 100kg of pure muscle from his neck to his toes.
Laumape's physique is a little like Ma'a Nonu's, the irreplaceable second five-eighth whose departure left a fairly sizeable hole in coach Chris Boyd's midfield.
Laumape's league career was largely a success. After switching codes he was the Warriors youth side's leading try scorer in 2012, the first grade rookie of the year in 2013, and an established starter in 2014.
He scored 11 tries in his 30 games shared between the wing and the centres, but said he missed the ability to roam the field in union, rather than being restricted to one side in league.
"He was one of the few guys I was scared of playing against [when I was at school]," Hurricanes openside Ardie Savea said of a player he captained in the national schools side. "He had no hand brakes and just wanted to run it straight and bash people over, so hopefully we'll see that here."
To their credit, the Hurricanes haven't been caught napping after losing both Nonu and centre Conrad Smith in one blow with Laumape joining Blues recruit Pita Ahki and Auckland's Vince Aso as the credible options to fill the No 12 jersey in 2016.
Laumape's homecoming can be largely attributed to Manawatu coach Jason O'Halloran, who has stayed in contact with a player who had always maintained he would return to his first love of rugby union.
If there is an asterisk next to Laumape's name it is that he has spent 2015 rehabbing from a ruptured ACL suffered during pre-season training and will have precious little chance to readjust to union before next year's Super Rugby season.
It was the second injury on the same knee, though Laumape has been told there is no medical reason it would happen again with the most recent repairs including the replacement of his ligament with a stronger one from his quadricep.
Stuff
