Xavi Taele: Age Grade Player of the Year who sealed a Māori All Blacks comeback in Nagoya

With two minutes left against the Japan XV in Nagoya on 27 June 2026, and the Māori All Blacks clinging to a lead they had only just taken, a 21-year-old centre from the Blues took the ball from a scrum and sliced through for the try that settled a 38-31 comeback win. In December 2024 Xavi Taele had been named New Zealand Rugby's Age Grade Player of the Year. Since then he has played 21 Super Rugby games for the Blues, scored 10 tries in 30 NPC games for Auckland, and been named in the Blues squad for 2027.

Where he comes from

Taele was born on 19 December 2004, according to the Blues and Wikipedia. RNZ describes him as originally from Tauranga, and he admitted to RNZ that he grew up dreaming of playing for the Chiefs. "Better keep that quiet around here," he joked in February 2025, a few weeks before his Blues debut. His iwi is Ngāi Tahu, as listed in the Māori All Blacks squad announcements.

Saint Kentigern

In Auckland he went to Saint Kentigern College, where he captained the 1st XV. RNZ wrote that he was regarded as one of the finest schoolboy centres in the country. He was also the inaugural recipient of the school's Michael Garner Scholarship, which RNZ says is awarded to a student showing exceptional promise both in and outside sport, and he passed all three levels of NCEA with excellence.

His parents, he told RNZ, pushed him to make education a priority. "You're not just a rugby player at the end of the day," he said. In 2025 he was studying exercise science at the University of Auckland alongside his rugby.

Through those years he came up through the Blues age-group teams, playing for the Blues Under 17 and Under 18 sides and then captaining the Blues Under 20s, the club records. In 2023 and 2024 he was on a National Development Contract with the Blues.

New Zealand Under 20

Taele was in the New Zealand Under 20 squad at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, playing three matches, RugbyPass records, as an 18-year-old.

He was back in 2024. New Zealand won the first U20 Rugby Championship in Australia in May 2024, and Taele scored a try in the 36-25 win over Australia at Sunshine Coast Stadium on 12 May 2024. At the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa he scored twice in a 41-34 win over Wales in Cape Town on 29 June 2024, and once more in the bronze final, a 38-24 win over Ireland at Cape Town Stadium on 19 July 2024. New Zealand finished third. Wikipedia credits him with 11 games and 20 points for the Under 20s across the two years.

Auckland

The 2024 NPC was meant to be a learning year. "I wasn't expecting to play too many games in NPC," Taele told RNZ, but he ended up playing every game. The Blues say he was thrust into a starting role at centre for Auckland and impressed with his reading of the game and his decision-making. He scored his first provincial try in a 24-17 win over Northland in Whangārei on 15 September 2024 and another in a 36-35 loss to Hawke's Bay in Napier on 28 September 2024, and he took over some of the goal-kicking, landing three from three against Canterbury at Eden Park on 24 August 2024.

On 12 December 2024 he was named New Zealand Rugby's Age Grade Player of the Year at the national awards, ahead of Vernon Bason, Oli Mathis and Elinor-Plum King. The Blues, who had just given him his first full contract, said the award recognised his exploits with Auckland and the New Zealand Under 20s.

He kept scoring for Auckland. In 2025 he crossed against Northland at Eden Park on 23 August 2025, scored a try and kicked five conversions in a 52-29 win over Manawatū at Eden Park on 14 September 2025, and scored again against Hawke's Bay in Napier on 25 September 2025. In 2026 he scored five tries: two against Hawke's Bay at Eden Park on 15 August 2026, one against North Harbour in Albany on 22 August 2026, and two against Otago in Dunedin on 1 October 2026. RugbyPass records 30 games, 10 tries and 79 points for Auckland across his three seasons.

The Blues

Taele was one of only a handful of new signings for the defending champions in 2025, RNZ noted. His Blues debut came against the Chiefs in Hamilton on 15 March 2025, a 32-31 loss in which he kicked a conversion. He played five games in his first season.

On 30 April 2025 the Blues re-signed him for 2026. "He's a smart footballer with a great feel for the game," said the club's general manager of rugby, Murray Williams.

In 2026 he played 16 Super Rugby games, RugbyPass records. He scored his first Blues try in a 59-34 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton on 30 May 2026, and his second a week later in the qualifying final against the Crusaders at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 6 June 2026, which the Crusaders won 52-31. The Blues' season ended with a semi-final loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington on 13 June 2026.

The Māori All Blacks

When the Māori All Blacks squad was named on 24 June 2025, Taele was one of the new caps and, at 20, the youngest player in it, 1News reported.

A year later he was back for Tamati Ellison's first squad, and on 27 June 2026 he started at centre alongside captain Bailyn Sullivan against the Japan XV at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya. The hosts led 31-14 with 16 minutes left. Taele's pass began the move from which TK Howden scored to cut the gap to ten, Taha Kemara put the Māori All Blacks ahead five minutes from time, and then, from a scrum after Pouri Rakete-Stones forced a Japanese mistake with two minutes remaining, Taele "speared through for a decisive dotdown", allblacks.com reported. The same report called him a "standout starter", with 15 tackles, 13 carries, three offloads and 52 metres gained.

Style and standing

Taele told RNZ that midfield is his strongest position. "Centre or second five. Wherever the spot, if there's an opportunity, I'll take it," he said. Asked about his style, he said: "I pride myself on hard work." The Blues note that he can also play on the wing, and in 2024 Auckland used him as a goal-kicker. His Māori All Blacks profile on allblacks.com highlights his footwork, his ball-carrying and his defensive intensity.

Looking to 2027

Taele has not played a Test for any country. He is in the Blues squad for 2027, named on 28 October 2026, alongside midfielders Rieko Ioane, Pita Ahki, James Cameron and Leo Gordon, under head coach Jason Holland, who replaces Vern Cotter.

Career at a glance

Blues figures are from the Blues' profile and agree with Wikipedia's list of Blues players (21 games, 2 tries, 2 conversions, last game 13 June 2026) and RugbyPass. Auckland figures are RugbyPass's season records; the 10 tries match Wikipedia's NPC match records. Under 20 games and points are from Wikipedia. RUGBE could not confirm how many games he has played for the Māori All Blacks.