Hutt Old Boys Marist: Michael Pehi

Flying Hutt Old Boys Marist utility back Michael Pehi is set to play his second representative season in the Wellington U21s - three years after first playing for the Junior Lions. The promising Pehi has recently returned from almost a year in Northern Ireland, playing for Ulster Senior League side Dungannon, as well as training with the Ulster Senior side and making two appearances for Ulster A, before a hamstring injury cut his season short early in the new year.

A versatile player with gas to burn - not unlike his HOBM teammate and Hurricanes winger Hosea Gear - Pehi glided on to the Wellington Premier rugby scene in 2004 in his first year out of Hutt Valley High School, playing a full Premier season and making the Wellington Colts at fullback.

A serious knee injury ended his 2005 season before it had barely begun, tearing his ACL ligaments playing a summer club Sevens tournament in the Bay of Plenty. This also occurred a week out from the New Zealand U19 trials.

He returned for last year's Swindale Shield, scoring a bucket load of tries for the Eagles in a series of close wins, including four in one match early in the season against defending champions Upper Hutt. He left for Ireland halfway through last year's Jubilee Cup and returned in May this year. Retaking the field after his hamstring troubles of the past six months, Pehi has played three of eight starting roles at centre for HOBM, where he is also likely to feature for the Colts later this year.

Pehi, who lists John Kirwan as his favourite rugby player, also has a Sevens pedigree, having made the New Zealand Sevens Training squad while still at school in 2003. If he can maintain his fitness further representative honours could be just around the corner.