All Blacks and Hurricanes young gun Jordie Barrett took another step towards a return to the field this morning, finishing third in his side's Surf to Peak pre-season challenge.
Barrett, 20, missed the back end of 2017 after hurting his shoulder in the Hurricanes' Super Rugby semi-final loss to the Lions in Johannesburg.
The youngster will be looking to shine again in 2018, having exploded onto the scene this year, including a man of the match performance in the third Test against the British and Irish Lions, his second Test match appearance.
Barrett came in third in the race to the top of Mount Victoria, an annual pre-season event Hurricanes players take part in as they build up to the Super Rugby season.
The race starts with a one kilometre sprint before players hop in a bike for a 25 kilometre ride - they finish things off with a climb to the top of Mount Victoria.
Brad Shields claimed first place.
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