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New Zealand's newest try-scoring ace emerges in U20 championship
By Adam Julian
The Sunshine Coast turned into a puddle paddock on May 2 when New Zealand and South Africa battled manfully to a 13-13 draw in The Rugby Championship Under-20 Tournament.
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Water splashed beneath the players’ feet, and it took 53 minutes for a try to be scored by the smallest player on the field; New Zealand winger Stanley Solomon.
With his deceptive strength and cunning elusiveness, the diminutive Wellington flyer helped enliven a dour contest.
On Sunday, Solomon scored two tries in a 36-25 victory over Australia as the ‘Baby Blacks’ secured inaugural Rugby Championship honours.
“I’ve been the smallest player on almost every team I’ve been on. That can be a good thing because people underestimate you and you can hurt them with your speed and footwork,” Solomon told RugbyPass.
“A South African Test match was an awesome opportunity. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you Test yourself and have a crack.
“We were pretty happy with the way things went in that game. We planned to move them around in the dry weather but when it rained, we needed to kick more. We didn’t get enough points with the wind in the first half, but we created plenty of chances to win and build stronger connections which was encouraging.”
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Those “connections” were evident against Australia. Despite two yellow cards in the second half, New Zealand overcame a 25-19 deficit. Solomon had initially hurt the Aussies with a 20m finish from a set move and an intercept where he dashed 40m.
“I’m real proud of the boys. That was a tough second half with those cards, but our forwards really stepped up and starved them of the ball at the end,” Solomon said.
“My tries in the first half were a case of being in the right place at the right time. My intercept is down to Johnny Lee. He won more games with the Crusaders Under 20’s in a week than the senior team has won this season. What a hero.”
Being small occasionally means Solomon gets smashed. In the 75th minute against South Africa, he was levelled in a supreme tackle by Joshua Boulle.
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“Far, I got smashed,” Solomon sighed.
“The idea from the scrum move was to stay in behind Rico Simpson and push wider to space but I saw a little gap and was too eager.
“All the players were staying in the same hotel, so I’ve seen Josh a few times and he just smiled at me. The South Africans, they’re good dudes. I’d never played a South African team before. It’s true what they say, they’re real tough buggers.”
Solomon started his junior rugby at the Wellington Axemen – the club his parents and leading real estate agents, Nigel Solomon and former Black Ferns mother Erin Rush played for.
He attended Wellington College and in the U15 final scored four tries in a rousing success. Solomon joined the First XV in 2021. Historically strong, Wellington had drifted into a lull missing the Wellington Premiership semi-finals in 2019 and 2020.
In 2021 Wellington was rejuvenated under the coaching of former All Blacks prop Neemia Tialata (43 Tests, 38 wins) and halfback Piri Weepu (2011 Rugby World Cup winner). Though Wellington didn’t make the Premiership final they beat eventual joint champions St Patrick’s College, Silverstream and Scots College in the regular season.
Solomon kicked a last-gasp penalty in the Scots College 18-17 victory after Wellington had been down 12-0.
“I was the only one on the field who knew it was full-time. I asked the referee and he replied, time’s up so, I knew I had to take the kick. I looked up and it was drifting left, but it came back through. It took me a few days for the feeling to really set in that we had beaten Scots, it was awesome.”
His try to win the annual grudge match for the Ken Gray Memorial Trophy against St Patrick’s College, Silverstream was even better. Solomon burst from his own 22 in a surge that went viral.
“During that game, I hadn’t done much. I kicked it to one of my mates, Kobe Joe-Vulu. He kicked it back to me and I sort of slipped over, lost my footing. I got up and was going to kick it, but I saw a bit of space and thought I would just have a go. I got through a couple of players and saw the Silverstream centre in front of me. I threw him a dummy and luckily, he took it.
“That was one of the best experiences I have had, to have my whole school behind me chanting and yelling.
Wellington lost most of their forward pack in 2022 but Solomon carried the team to the semi-finals where they lost 23-24 to St Patrick’s College, Wellington. Solomon scored all of the points, in every way you can, in a masterclass that saw him selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team who beat a dogged Maori Under 18 outfit (27-24) and Fiji (67-15) in Hamilton.
Besides his parents, Tialata and Weepu, Solomon sighted Wellington College headmaster and former Tall Blacks basketballer (169 caps) Glen Denham as a key mentor.
“Mr Denham was amazing for us. He helped us grow our supporters’ club and called me out a few times when I needed it. He would say that when our rugby team is winning, the school is winning. It brought out the school spirit in all the codes which was awesome.
“During Covid, we weren’t allowed on school grounds for the football final but that didn’t stop us from watching on a nearby hill. Zander Edwards scored a hat-trick and we beat Scots 4-3. We all wanted to see each other succeed.”
Solomon joined the Petone club in 2023 and has scored 16 tries in 15 matches. Last year he scored four tries against Tawa and helped Petone win their annual McBain Shield grudge match against Hutt Old Boys Marist. Solomon won the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest award as an 18-year-old.
Billy Wallace was a Jubilee Cup winner with Poneke in 1903 and 1909. An Originals All Black, he scored a record 246 points on the famous UK and French tour which saw 34 of 35 matches won. His 379 total points for the All Blacks was a record for 50 years. In all recorded matches Wallace scored 860 points in 91 matches, a phenomenal strike rate with a lower point scoring system.
The “Billy Wallace” was presented in 1966 and has been won by All Blacks like Graham Williams, Ardie Savea, Alan Hewson, and Bernie Fraser. Solomon received the prize from his Mum whom the equivalent women’s trophy is named after.
“That was a complete shock and surprise to get it from Mum. The names on it are inspiring,” Solomon said.
“To be honest I didn’t know a lot about Billy Wallace. Dad told me some stuff that went in one ear and out the other, typical young people.
“It wasn’t until I did some reading that I appreciated what a great man Billy Wallace was. When he died, he was 94, the oldest living All Black. The trophy sits by our front door. I’m really proud of it.”
Solomon rates Dan Carter as his favourite player, but he also admires the play of Damian McKenzie. Solomon is studying commerce at Victoria University.
