Hautapu lock Dylan Eti has been named by the Rugby Almanack of New Zealand as one of five promising payers from the 2025 season.
Two Waipā players have featured in the respected Rugby Almanack’s five players of the year and five promising players of the year for 2025 – and both are St Peter’s School, Cambridge alumni.
Cameron Roigard and Luke Jacobsen
All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard with his dad, Dave, in Cambridge in 2023. Photo: Jeremy Smith
The 2026 almanack named Karāpiro-raised All Black Cam Roigard, 25, as one of the players of the year – he was also named among the 2023 quintet.
Ōtorohanga-raised Hautapu lock Dylan Eti, 20, was crowned a promising player.
To qualify for consideration as a promising player of the year, players are usually in their début season at first-class level or first full season.
In recent years, Austin Anderson (Te Awamutu Sports) and Ollie Norris (St Peter’s and Hautapu) have also made promising players of the year lists.
The Rugby Almanack was first published in 1935 and is now edited by Adrian Hill, Cambell Burnes and John Lea.
The annual publication summarises the previous year’s rugby season in New Zealand –reviewing Heartland, FPC, NPC, Super Rugby Pacific, international, sevens and more.
The Rugby Almanack blurb explained Eti’s special first year in first-class rugby.
Dylan Eti took every opportunity at club, NPC, Super Rugby under-20 and international under-20 level in 2025. Photo: Matt Gould
Eti was not named in the initial Waikato NPC squad, but following injuries to Laghlan McWhannell and James Tucker, the 2m 115kg lock was brought into the squad.
“He took his opportunity well and played for the rest of the season, apart from missing the last match due to injury, and completed the year with a wider training group contract with the Chiefs for 2026.
He had started 2025 with a second appearance at the Super Rugby U20 tournament at Taupō for the Chiefs and earned selection for the New Zealand U20 team at the Rugby Championship tournament in South Africa.
Eti was born in Hamilton in 2005, was educated at St Mary’s Catholic School, Ōtorohanga and represented the King Country Roller Mills team in 2017-18.
He enrolled at Ōtorohanga College in 2019 and spent 2020 and 2021 in the first XV before going on to St Peter’s School, Cambridge. There he played in the first XV and was selected in the Waikato U14, U16 and U18 teams.
After leaving school in 2024 he joined the Hautapu club and went straight into their premier team and played for the Chiefs U20 team at the Super Rugby tournament at Taupō.
“At the end of the year he was rewarded with a national development contract to train with the Chiefs for 2025.”
Eti said he didn’t know he had been selected – “but it’s awesome to be making a name for me and my family in the rugby community… I love being a full-time rugby player as a job.”
See: Waipa influence in Aupiki
Hautapu rep Dylan Eti catches up with an Ōtorohanga friend post-match. Photo: Matt Gould
ETI1: Hautapu lock Dylan Eti has been named by the Rugby Almanack of New Zealand as one of five promising payers from the 2025 season. Photo: Matt Gould
