Harbouring A Secret: Shailene's Big Little Romance

Rugby hunk Ben has an A-list admirer

It’s certainly North Harbour rugby’s best season ever, third in the Mitre 10 Cup and pushing for a home semi-final. But not even the team’s stellar form can fully explain how they’ve won the fanatical support of Hollywood beauty Shailene Woodley.

Kitted out in a Harbour scarf and beanie, the Big Little Lies star has been a passionate fixture in the stands this season, screaming encouragement to the men from Auckland’s North Shore.

Or rather, one man in particular, for the actress, 25, has fallen head over heels for handsome first-five Ben Volavola.

More used to the red carpet alongside co-stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, last weekend she drove through teeming rain to Hamilton to see Ben, 26, and his team tackle Waikato. And Shailene, famed for her roles in The Descendants, Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, roared with delight as Ben took his team to a thrilling victory with the last kick of the game.

She was among the first to congratulate him for his last-ditch heroics, rushing down to the sideline to embrace him and share some tender moments, oblivious to the crowds.

“She was obviously really proud of him,” says one spectator. “He’d come on as a substitute for the final 20 minutes and missed two easier penalties with Harbour trailing 11-10.