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Leicester Faingaʻanuku is the STECO Hero of the Week

The All Blacks will have a new hybrid strike weapon and power tool of a backline player who is comfortable playing in the pack.

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5 months ago

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Leicester Fainga'anuku of Crusaders (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Leicester Faingaʻanuku, the versatile Crusaders hybrid player, is the STECO Hero of the Week.

STECO RUGBY PARTNERSHIP

Keo looked at some of the best individual performances from Bordeaux’s emphatic 41-19 Investec Champions Cup Final win against Leinster. He identified captain and scrumhalf Maxime Lucu, flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert and winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey as contenders for the weekly award.

Bielle-Biarrey, who was the Six Nations Player of the Year in 2026, was also named Investec Champions Cup Player of the Year for 2025/26.

But Zels was insisted that in true hybrid form, the winner had to come from Down Under in the form of Crusaders winger, turned centre, turned flanker Leicester Fainga’anuku.

Leicester Faingaʻanuku STECO

“Look no further than in the Land of the Long White Cloud, mate,” said Zels. “He started at number seven for the Crusaders in their victory over the Chiefs. He scored a great try. He’s been in vicious form in Super Rugby.

“I’m not sure it’s going to translate to the Test arena, but I do love Leicester Fainga’anuku. So he’s my Hybrid Power Tool Hero this week.”

STECO has been a partner of Keo.co.za and the Keo & Zels show for the past two years, with Keo & Zels dedicating a section of the show to the STECO Power Play of the weekend.

Sharks and Springboks centre Andre Esterhuizen, who has played centre and flank for the Boks is the official STECO Hybrid Power Tools Hero and Hybrid Craftsman Ambassador

Leicester Faingaʻanuku 2025/26 season positional selections

Tournament Team Opponent Date Playing No
Autumn Nations Series R1 New Zealand Ireland 01/11 22
Autumn Nations Series R2 New Zealand Scotland 08/11 13
Autumn Nations Series R3 New Zealand England 15/11 11
Autumn Nations Series R4 New Zealand Wales 22/11 22
Super Rugby R1 Crusaders Highlanders 13/02 11
Super Rugby R2 Crusaders Brumbies 22/02 23
Super Rugby R3 Crusaders Chiefs 28/02 13
Super Rugby R4 Crusaders Blues 07/03 13
Super Rugby R5 Crusaders Highlanders 14/03 22
Super Rugby R6 Crusaders Moana Pasifika 21/03 22
Super Rugby R8 Crusaders Fijian Drua 03/04 13
Super Rugby R9 Crusaders Reds 11/04 13
Super Rugby R10 Crusaders Western Force 18/04 13
Super Rugby R11 Crusaders Waratahs 24/04 7
Super Rugby R12 Crusaders Hurricanes 01/05 7
Super Rugby R13 Crusaders Blues 08/05 7
Super Rugby R15 Crusaders Chiefs 22/05 7
Total Matches 17

PlanetRugby rated his performance against the Chiefs as an 8/10.

“He is is absolutely irrepressible at the moment. A bit of a learning curve at times, with Fainga’anuku just getting it slightly wrong at the breakdown and in the tackle, conceding three penalties, but he was once again just so influential in the contest. His late assist for Havili’s winning try showed what a difference-maker he can be.”

 

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