All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster has revealed how the team's find of the season, rookie prop Karl Tu'inukuafe, was discovered this year.
Tu'inukuafe has gone on a Hollywood-esque journey in 2018, going from an uncontracted injury-replacement at the Chiefs to a starting All Black and World Rugby award nominee in the span of eight months.
Foster says selectors had actually first spotted the 25-year-old last year while he was playing provincial rugby for North Harbour.
The rookie prop showed class in his side's 52-11 victory at Eden Park.
"We heard of him through the Mitre 10 Cup the year before," Foster said.
"We heard that there was this big, strong prop playing for Harbour and when I went into a few Chiefs trainings preseason I watched him run around and (Chiefs coach) Colin Cooper told me about him.
"But he was going through a fitness stage of his training at that particular part of the season so we didn't get to see a lot of him on the park."
Karl Tu'inukuafe made his first All Blacks appearance in the 52-11 victory over France.
Tu'inukuafe made his Super Rugby debut in round five of the competition off the bench against the Bulls but Foster said selectors didn't get a glimpse of him until round nine against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
"He came off the bench and he made a pretty big impression very, very quickly.
"We just kept an eye on him and have been delighted with his progress."
Foster said they still see plenty more in store for the front rower, though, who is up for the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award later this month.
"He's still learning and when you really study his game, there's still a lot more growth in him - he's clearly scrummaging pretty good but that's only one part of a prop's game.
The 25-year-old said he is up for the challenge against the Springboks this Sunday in Pretoria.
"While we're excited about that aspect of his game we're working hard to grow the others."
When asked if Tu'inukuafe's story reflects the depth of talent New Zealand seems to have in rugby, Foster had a mixed response.
"In some ways it does, we've got franchises back home that do a really good job of developing players.
"But I have to admit, he's a bit of a gold nugget - I don't think we've got heaps of them back home but I'm pleased we've got him."
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