Murphy Taramai and Ana Kerr win Best & Fairest competitions

Anastasia Kerr and Murphy Taramai led their teams’ performances this year and won the 2026 Best & Fairest competitions. Photos: Andy McArthur.

Upper Hutt’s Murphy Taramai and Petone teenager Anastasia Kerr took home the two big individual club prizes from this week’s Wellington Rugby Awards; the Billy Wallace and Erin Rush Best & Fairest competition awards.

Taramai made his return to the province and his home club this season, and tallied 15 points on the 3-2-1 allocation decided by the referees from the Wellington Rugby Referees Association. Six of those points came from the last three contests the hard-running No.8 played in as the Rams finished second in the Swindale Shield before being forced to miss their Jubilee Cup semi-final loss to eventual winners Petone.

Taramai had also missed one other game earlier in the round-robin owing to the berth that week of the latest addition to his family, but otherwise led from the front for the Rams. Taramai’s form earned him a place in the Wellington squad for the NPC where he was largely utilised off the bench, but did start the Lions final match of their trying campaign against Taranaki.

Taramai finished two points clear of a trio of players; first-year stars Rupeni Raviyawa (HOBM) and Elijah Solomona (Wainuiomata), and perennial contender Jacob Walmsley (Johnsonville). Raviyawa led most of the way on the basis of getting the three points four times in one five-game stretch, but Taramai’s late burst put him on point.

Last years winner, Paremata-Pimmerton’s Esi Komaisavai, was fifth on twelve points.

Remarkably, Taramai is just the second Upper Hutt player to win the Billy Wallace and the first to do so outright; Doug Dalton – also a No.8 – shared the award in 1972 with Petone legend Andy Leslie. He’s also the first No.8 to win it since Poneke’s Greg Foe in 2018.

Of those previous winners still involved in Wellington rugby other than Komaisavai, professional commitments limited the involvements of Stanley Solomon (2023) and Callum Harkin (2022), but the group of winners from Tawa of Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (2019 & 2021), Hemi Fermanis (2017), and TJ Fermanis (2015) all made appearances at Premier-level while 2016 winner Peni Tokakece remains active as a grizzled veteran of their Premier 2 side.

The Billy Wallace Award dates back to 1966 with Athletic’s All Black flanker Tom Lister the inaugural winner.

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Ana Kerr becomes the fourth-successive Villager to win the Women’s Erin Rush Trophy, with the Year 13 student from St Mary’s College – for who she played for during the week – having a standout season and continuing the lineage of teenagers from the college making a huge impression on club rugby. Kerr notched 12 points across the season, consistently scoring points from the referees in a Petone side that went unbeaten in claiming the Rebecca Liua’ana-Tia Paasi Memorial double.

Kerr finished one point ahead of Wainuiomata’s Zoe Clark who was runner-up for the second consecutive year, with Wellington’s Jane Bryce third.

Last year’s winner Harmony Kautai did not feature this season, having moved to Sydney to further her ambitions in the 13-man code. Injury and Poua commitments limited the involvement of 2024 winner Keira Su’a-Smith, now with Wainuiomata and the only previous winner playing in Wellington this season.

Ana Kerr with two tries in the Tia Paasi Memorial Cup Final in July.

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The last ten winners of the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition have been:

• 2017: Ben Tupuola (Wainuiomata) / Hemi Fermanis (Tawa)
• 2018: Greg Foe (Poneke)
• 2019: Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa)
• 2020: Sam Reid (OBU) and Bruce Kauika-Petersen (Norths)
• 2021: Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa)
• 2022: Callum Harkin (Old Boys University)
• 2023: Stanley Solomon (Petone)
• 2024: Sam Clarke (Paremata-Plimmerton) and Milan Kriletich (Marist St Pat’s)
• 2025: Esi Komaisavai (Paremata-Plimmerton
• 2026: Murphy Taramai (Upper Hutt Rams)

The first six winners of the Erin Rush Cup have been:

• 2021: Thamsyn Newton (Paremata-Plimmerton)
• 2022: Thamsyn Newton (Marist St Pat’s) and Kaia Pollock (Paremata-Plimmerton)
• 2023: Justine McGregor (Petone)
• 2024: Keira Su’a-Smith (Petone)
• 2025: Harmony Kautai (Petone)
• 2026: Ana Kerr (Petone)

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History of the Best & Fairest competition

In 2016 we did a series celebrating the Best & Fairest winners from its inception in 1966 up to the early 2000s.

View the start of this series at: http://www.clubrugby.co.nz/wellington/story.php?id=1791

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WRFU COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS

Sir William Perry Memorial Trophy: Petone RFC

Dewar Imperial Trophy: Petone RFC

Club Rookies of the Year: Ana Kerr (Petone) and Rupeni Raviyama (HOBM)

Club Team of the Year: Petone Premiers

Club Coach of the Year: Marcus Mareko (Petone Premier 2)

Erin Rush Best and Fairest: Ana Kerr (Petone)

Billy Wallace Best and Fairest: Murphy Taramai (Upper Hutt)

Referee of the Year: Charlie Harris

Junior Club Volunteer of the Year: Andrew “Norm” Martin (Upper Hutt)

Senior Club Volunteer of the Year: Troy O’Kane (Avalon)

Women’s and Men’s High Performance Unit, Best Philosophy Awards: Ana Kerr (Petone) and William Davis (Petone)

Women’s and Men’s High Performance Unit, Best Performer Awards: Arena Landon-Lane (Norths) and Mitchell Shields (OBU)

U/16’s Boys Player of the Year: Isaac Sanele (Stream)

U/20’s Player of the Year: David Johnson (ORIES)

Centurions Development Player of the Year: Elijah Solomona (Wainui)

Representative Coach of the Year: Matt Poutoa (Pride)

Pride Rookie of the Year: Keiana Roffrey (Poneke)

Pride Player of the Year: Merania Paraone (ORIES)

Lions Rookie of the Year: Cam Burgess (MSP)

Lions Supporters Player of the Year: James O’Reilly (HOBM)

Lions Player of the Year: Du’Plessis Kirifi (Norths)

Lifetime Contribution Award: Ru Rangi (ORIES Life Member and Former Wellington Pride Manager)

About Billy Wallace: 

Pioneers of rugby in Wellington: 029 Billy Wallace