Chiefs centre Quinn Tupaea has been crowned the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year, edging Highlanders midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai in one of the tightest votes the award has produced — and within days the official Team of the Year had reopened a familiar trans-Tasman argument.
Tupaea and Tavatavanawai finished level on 43 votes after the regular season, with the Chiefs man taking the honour on a tiebreaker, having collected more maximum 'three-vote' selections from the independent media panel across the campaign. Blues flanker Anton Segner (41) was third, with Western Force fly-half Ben Donaldson and Waratahs wing Max Jorgensen tied on 39. NSW Waratahs youngster Sid Harvey was a clear winner of the inaugural Rookie of the Year award with 27 votes, ahead of the Highlanders' Lucas Casey on 18.
"Quinn Tupaea is a most deserving winner of the Player of the Year Award, having been one of the competition's most consistent star performers and playing a leading role in the success the Chiefs have enjoyed in 2026," Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley said.
"I would also like to congratulate Sid Harvey on becoming the inaugural Rookie of the Year. In his breakthrough season with the Waratahs we saw the skill and confidence to suggest he has a very bright future ahead of him," Mesley added.
The timing is pointed. Tupaea heads into Saturday's Grand Final against the Hurricanes in Wellington as his side's midfield anchor, with the Chiefs managing injuries to Lalakai Foketi, Isaac Hutchinson and Wallace Sititi.
Nine clubs are represented in the Team of the Year, which was built from the top performers in each position's voting. The Highlanders and Les Kiss' Reds lead the way with three players apiece, the Chiefs and Western Force have two each, and the Blues, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Brumbies and Waratahs one each. Crusaders man Leicester Fainga'anuku's switch into the back row was rewarded with selection alongside Segner and the Reds' Fraser McReight.
Not everyone agreed with the selectors. Writing for rova, columnist John Day argued the panel "missed the mark," noting the side contained "seven Australians... when none of their teams made the semi-finals," while table-toppers the Hurricanes had only one player named despite finishing first. Day reserved his strongest words for the omission of Hurricanes scrum-half Cam Roigard, calling it "an absolute disgrace," and described lock Warner Dearns as "perhaps the biggest omission from the official team of the year."
The awards are decided by a 3-2-1 vote from an independent media panel for each regular-season fixture, supplemented by 3-2-1 votes submitted by opposing captains and coaches — a system the competition says keeps the honours "primarily a peer-voted recognition."
The full Team of the Year: Ethan de Groot, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Xavier Numia; Jeremy Williams, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; Anton Segner, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Fraser McReight; Ryan Lonergan, Ben Donaldson; Max Jorgensen, Quinn Tupaea, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Caleb Tangitau; Jock Campbell.
