Fehi Fineanganofo: the league kid who broke Super Rugby's try record and chose the black jersey

In January 2026 Fehi Fineanganofo signed to play in England. Under New Zealand Rugby's rules that should have ended any chance of an All Blacks jersey, and he knew it. "It was just to choose between the jersey or my family," he said later. Then he scored 17 tries in 14 Super Rugby games, equal with the most anyone has scored in a season, and the new All Blacks coach picked him anyway. Fehi Fineanganofo, 24, has one Test, an Olympic Games behind him and a share of the Super Rugby record, and he has put his move to Newcastle on hold to chase a place at the 2027 World Cup. This is the story of a league kid from Auckland who went from a Schools team that never played to the Olympics and the All Blacks.

Where he comes from

Fatafehi Fineanganofo was born in Auckland on 31 August 2002. He grew up playing rugby league at centre, with his father as his coach. "My dad trained me. He's been my coach," he told allblacks.com in 2024. "I was centre in league, learned how to tackle."

Auckland Grammar

Union became a serious option only when he went to Auckland Grammar School. New Zealand Rugby's Museum profile calls him "a try scoring machine" from his school days onwards, and his favourite memory of the place is a rivalry. "My best memory at Auckland Grammar was beating King's three times," he said.

In 2020 he was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic it was a team on paper only and never played, which the Museum says delayed his emergence in the public eye.

Sevens and the Olympics

His next step came through sevens. After the Ignite 7s tournament he was invited into the All Blacks Sevens by coach Tomasi Cama, though injury held up his entry into the full squad. He made his debut on the World Series in Los Angeles in 2023, at a tournament New Zealand won, and signed a full-time sevens contract for 2024.

That was a big year. He was among the young players credited with New Zealand's win at the Hong Kong Sevens in April, and was part of the side that won in Singapore in May. By April he had already played 40 World Series matches. In July he went to the Paris Olympics. In the pool match against Japan at Stade de France, in front of 69,000, he scored twice in a 40-12 win. New Zealand lost their quarter-final 14-7 to South Africa the next day and finished fifth.

Bay of Plenty

Fineanganofo plays his club rugby for Greerton Marist in Tauranga, and he was named in the Bay of Plenty Steamers squad for the first time in 2023. He scored in a 38-35 win at Hawke's Bay that September. In 2024, back from Paris, he came off the bench in the 60th minute of the NPC final against Wellington, which the Steamers lost 23-20 in extra time.

His breakout provincial season was 2025. He scored nine tries in ten games, level with Otago's Lucas Casey and Tasman's Tomasi Maka as the competition's top try-scorer, including a hat-trick in a 43-17 win away to Taranaki and a try in the 27-7 quarter-final win over Tasman. Bay of Plenty lost the semi-final to Otago. Before the 2026 season he had 16 tries in 24 games for the province, the BBC reported, and he added four more in two games late in the 2026 NPC.

The Hurricanes and the record

In November 2024 the Hurricanes signed him on a two-year deal. He scored six tries in 12 games in his first season, 2025. Then, in January 2026, Newcastle Red Bulls announced that he would join them in the English Premiership from the 2026-27 season. "My main focus right now is Super Rugby and NPC here in New Zealand," he said.

He delivered on that. He scored twice in the first half of the season opener, a 52-10 win over Moana Pasifika, and in March he scored a hat-trick in a 50-7 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin. At Super Round in Christchurch he went one better, with four tries against the Brumbies in a 45-10 win, completing his third hat-trick of the season before half-time. That took him to 14. "He's his own highlight reel most weeks," head coach Clark Laidlaw said. "He's genuine X-factor, isn't he?"

The record for a Super Rugby season was 16, set by Joe Roff of the Brumbies in 1997 and equalled by Ben Lam of the Hurricanes in 2018. On 16 May, at Eden Park, Fineanganofo chased a kick from Brayden Iose, took the bounce and scored his 16th to draw level, with two games of the regular season left. The 17th took another five weeks.

It came in the final, against the Chiefs in Wellington on 20 June. His wing partner Josh Moorby scored first to reach 16. Then Fineanganofo backed up a break by Callum Harkin and dived over for his 17th, the record on his own, before Moorby scored again to join him. The Hurricanes won 60-5, the biggest winning margin in a Super Rugby final, for their first title since 2016. Fineanganofo finished the season with 17 tries from 14 games.

The All Blacks

Two days later Dave Rennie named his first All Blacks squad, and Fineanganofo was one of four uncapped players in it, despite the contract in England. "His form has been irresistible, and we're keen to name him," Rennie told Sky Sport. Fineanganofo said his agent was looking at the Newcastle deal, and that his parents had told him he could not give up an opportunity like this. At the start of the year, he said, "I just chose family and now things have changed".

He made his debut in Rennie's first Test in charge, against France at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 4 July 2026, coming off the bench in the No 23 jersey as the All Blacks won 34-32. He became All Black No 1234.

He went on the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa and played two of the tour matches. Against the Sharks in Durban on 11 August he scored twice, the first in the corner after a quick tap from Kyle Preston, and set up a try for Damian McKenzie as the All Blacks won 54-0. He started on the wing against the Lions at Ellis Park two weeks later, a 41-35 win.

Staying home

On 29 September he extended his contracts with New Zealand Rugby and the Hurricanes to the end of 2027, after what were described as "several months of positive and collaborative discussions" with Newcastle. He will then play for Newcastle from 2027 to 2029. "I'm excited to be staying in New Zealand with the Hurricanes for next season," he said, adding that he wanted to keep putting his hand up for the All Blacks before the World Cup. Laidlaw called it "great news", and Newcastle's sporting general manager, Neil McIlroy, said the club was "fully supportive".

Five days later, playing for Bay of Plenty against North Harbour in the last round of the NPC, he scored twice but was concussed and strained a hamstring. He was ruled out of both Bledisloe Cup Tests, and Chay Fihaki took his place in the squad. On 27 October he was named in the 36-man squad for the northern tour among the players returning from injury.

Style and standing

Fineanganofo is a wing of 1.80 metres and 100 kg on New Zealand Rugby's figures. Laidlaw, who has known him since he was 18, put it simply during the season: "His best rugby is ahead of him." Rennie, talking about his two record-breaking Hurricanes wings, said: "I love their anticipation."

Where he is now

Fineanganofo is not in the 23 for Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday 8 November (NZ time). He stays with the squad for Wales in Cardiff and England in London, and the Nations Championship finals weekend in London at the end of the month. He is in the Hurricanes' squad for 2027, and then Newcastle awaits.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data to 17 October 2026.