The Sunshine Coast was turned into a watering hole paddock on May 2 as New Zealand and South Africa played out a 13-13 draw in the Rugby Championship Under-20 tournament.
Water splashed beneath the players’ feet and it took 53 minutes for the smallest player on the field to score. New Zealand winger Stanley Solomon.
With his deceptive power and cunning and elusive ability, the little Wellington Flyer breathed life into an otherwise dismal competition.
On Sunday, Solomon scored two tries in a 36-25 win over Australia as the ‘Baby Blacks’ won their first Rugby Championship.
“I was the smallest player on almost every team I was on. That can be a good thing because people underestimate you and you can hurt people with your speed and footwork,” Solomon said. rugby pass.
“The South Africa Test match was a great opportunity. You won’t know what you’re capable of until you test yourself and get cracking.
“We were very happy with how the game went. We tried to move it in dry weather, but when it rained we had to kick it around even more. “We didn’t get enough points in the first half because of the wind, but we created a lot of chances to win and we built a stronger link, which was encouraging.”
This “connection” was evident for Australia. New Zealand overcame a 25-19 deficit despite two yellow cards in the second half. Solomon initially hurt Australia with a 20m finish from a set move and an interception rushing 40m.
“I’m really proud of the boys. It was a tough second half because of those cards, but our forwards really stepped up and starved us of the ball at the end.” Solomon said:
“The try in the first half was a case of being in the right place at the right time. My block is up to Johnny Lee. He has won more wins for the Crusaders Under 20’s in one week than the senior team has won this season. “What a hero.”
Being small sometimes means Solomon gets smashed. In the match against South Africa, the equalizer was scored in the 75th minute thanks to a tremendous tackle by Joshua Boulé.
Solomon sighed. “I was shattered.”
“The idea of the scrum move was to stay behind Rico Simpson and push into more space, but we saw a bit of a gap and we were too eager.
“I saw Josh a few times because the players were all staying at the same hotel and he just laughed. South Africans are good friends. I have never played against a South African team. What they say is true. They are really tough guys.”
Solomon began playing junior rugby with Wellington Axemen, the club for which his parents, leading estate agent Nigel Solomon and former Black Ferns mother Erin Rush played.
He attended Wellington College and enjoyed great success, scoring four tries in the U15 finals. Solomon joined the First XV in 2021. Historically strong Wellington suffered a lull after missing the Wellington Premiership semi-finals in 2019 and 2020.
Wellington are revitalized in 2021 under the coaching of former All Blacks Neemia Tialata (43 Tests, 38 wins) and halfback Piri Weepu (2011 Rugby World Cup winner). Wellington failed to reach the Premiership final, but beat eventual co-champions St Patrick’s College, Silverstream and Scots College in the regular season.
Solomon kicked the final penalty in Scots College’s 18-17 win after Wellington had been 12-0 down.
“I was the only person on site who knew it was a full-time job. I asked the referee and he answered. He knew time was up and he had to kick. He looked up and he was drifting to the left and then he came back. It took a few days to feel like we had beaten Scotland. “It was really awesome.”
Even better was his effort to win the annual grudge match against St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, in the Ken Gray Memorial Trophy. Solomon exploded from his 22nd birthday as word of mouth spread about him.
“I didn’t get to do much during that game. I kicked it to one of my teammates, Kobe Joe-Vulu. He kicked it back at me and I slipped and lost my footing. I was going to get up and kick it, but I saw some space and thought I’d just go for it. After passing a few players, the Silver Stream Center came into view. I threw a pile at him and luckily he took it.
“Having the whole school singing and screaming behind me was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Wellington lost most of their forward pack for 2022, but Solomon led the team to the semi-finals where they lost 23-24 to Wellington’s St Patrick’s College. Solomon scored every point in every way possible in a masterclass and was selected for the New Zealand secondary schools team that beat a tenacious Maori under-18 outfit (27-24) and Fiji (67-15) in Hamilton.
Besides his parents, Tialata and Weepu, Solomon counts Wellington College principal and former Tall Blacks basketball player (169 caps) Glen Denham as a key mentor.
“Mr. Denham has been truly amazing to us. He helped us grow our supporters club and was on the phone several times when I needed him. He said that if our rugby team wins, the school wins too. It brought out the school spirit in every code which was awesome.
“During Covid we weren’t allowed to go to the school ground for football finals, but that didn’t stop us from watching the game from a nearby hill. Zander Edwards scored a hat-trick and we beat the Scots 4-3. “We all wanted to see each other succeed.”
Solomon joined the Petone club in 2023 and scored 16 tries in 15 games. Last year he scored four tries against Tawa and helped Petone win the annual McBain Shield grudge match against Hutt Old Boys Marist. At age 18, Solomon won the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest award.
Billy Wallace was a Jubilee Cup winner with Poneke in 1903 and 1909. The Originals All Black won 34 of 35 matches on the famous tour of England and France, scoring a record 246 points. His total score of 379 for the All Blacks was a record that stood for 50 years. In all recorded games, Wallace scored 860 runs in 91 games, a phenomenal strikeout rate for a low-scoring system.
“Billy Wallace” was released in 1966 and won by All Blacks such as Graham Williams, Ardie Savea, Alan Hewson and Bernie Fraser. Solomon received the award from his mother, who named the corresponding female trophy.
“It was a real shock and surprise to hear those words from my mom. The names written there are inspirational,” Solomon said.
“To be honest, I didn’t know much about Billy Wallace. My dad told me a few stories about typical young people going in one ear and going out the other.
“It wasn’t until I read some books that I realized how great Billy Wallace was. At the time of his death, he was 94 years old and the oldest living All Black. The trophy is next to my door. “I’m really proud.”
Solomon rates Dan Carter as his favorite player, but also admires the play of Damian McKenzie. Solomon is studying Commerce at Victoria University.
