The Hurricanes game from the Savea brothers that inspired Peter Lakai

One of Peter Lakai’s earliest childhood memories took place on April 6, 2013.

Then 10-year-old Lakai was among 8,966 spectators who watched the Hurricanes beat the Waratahs 41-29 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

All Blacks winger Julian Savea scored two tries for the Hurricanes, while Beauden Barrett added 21 points. Wallabies fullback Israel Folau scored for the visitors.

Wide-eyed Lakai was captivated by the spectacle, but it wasn’t an All Black at that time who proved to be the most endearing talent on display.

Bongi Mbonambi on what winning in Cape Town would mean

Bongi Mbonambi on what winning in Cape Town would mean

“Young Ardie Savea. He was awesome. It was surreal to see all those All Blacks and Wallabies in person for the first time,” Lakai told RugbyPass.

Fast forward a dozen years, and Lakai is a key part of the All Blacks loose forward trio alongside centurion and semi-regular captain Ardie Savea.

“The way Ardie leads through his actions is so influential. He’s easy to follow. Scott Barrett is similar. Both are really confident in their roles,” Lakai observed.

Lakai played a full 80 minutes in three of the four All Blacks Grand Slam tour Tests. Gritty wins against Ireland (26-13) and Scotland (25-17) were offset by a heavy 33-19 defeat to England, despite an exceptional display by Lakai. Capped eight times, Lakai uniquely covers all three loose forward positions.

“There’s not much difference between the positions. It’s easy to get the hang of it if your head is screwed on. Eight and six are more involved in the set pieces, whereas seven is free to roam wider and can be a greater presence at the ruck,” Lakai surmised.

“It was a good experience to play more minutes on my second end-of-year tour. Ireland and Scotland were won in challenging conditions in front of a big crowd, which was awesome. England was a bit disappointing.”

The loss to England might have been the most crucial setback in coach Scott Robertson’s tenure, leading to his job loss. What went wrong for the All Blacks?

“Discipline. We got our tails up early and then a couple of drop kicks from George Ford narrowed the margin before halftime. In the second half, we had an early yellow card and allowed England too many entries into our 22. If you let a team like England in too often, they’re bound to score. I hope we see them later this season.”

Lakai’s immediate focus is Super Rugby Pacific, which for the Hurricanes starts after a first-round bye on February 20 in Wellington against Moana Pasifika.

Lakai has played 37 matches for the franchise, scoring 8 tries and winning 25 matches. The Hurricanes topped the round robin in 2024 before falling to the Chiefs in a home semi-final. Last year, they fell to the Brumbies for the third time in four seasons in the quarter-finals.

“We have a game plan we believe works. We just need to be more ruthless, especially if we make the playoffs. The Brumbies have knocked us out the same way for a couple of years, so we need to make sure we win big moments,” Lakai observed.

“We’re an experienced group. A lot of the boys are back, and some of the new guys have been training for 11 weeks. I’m excited.”

Lakai grew up in Taita and played his junior rugby for Stokes Valley and Avalon. His older brother, Elijah, is an outside back for Avalon, and his mum, Saline, is a social support worker.

He attended St Patrick’s College, Silverstream. In 2017, he was part of the Silverstream Under-15 team that went 18-0 and won both the Wellington and Hurricanes Secondary Schools’ titles. In the later tournament, Silverstream beat St Peter’s College, Auckland, 31-11 in the final. Lakai was named MVP.

In 2018, he was injury cover in the First XV, which won 16 of 18 games, including the Wellington Premier I championship, and all six traditional fixtures.

He secured a permanent spot in the First XV over the next two years, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Silverstream lost two Premier I finals against Scots College, and Lakai wasn’t selected for any national representative teams, despite being co-captain with fellow Hurricane Riley Higgins.

Lakai proved to be so explosive for Petone in Wellington club rugby that his representative prospects soared, earning him a spot in the unbeaten New Zealand Under-20s in 2022—the same year he debuted for the Wellington Lions, with whom he has played 36 games and achieved 30 wins, including the 2022 NPC final against Canterbury.

Lakai made his debut for the All Blacks in a 64-19 win over Japan in Tokyo in 2024.

“The biggest change in my life since becoming an All Black is just how big the All Black brand is. Everyone knows who you are. When I’m at the supermarket, I get that look. I’m a bit shy, but being an All Black is a privilege,” Lakai said.

Lakai will sit out the Hurricanes’ pre-season fixtures against the Blues and Chiefs with a minor calf injury. He will likely be available for the Hurricanes’ first match of the regular season against Moana Pasifika on February 20 in Wellington.