A towering 12-year-old boy of Tongan descent, Petelo Lemeki, was the centre of attention last week at an under-13’s rugby tournament in New Zealand. Petelo reportedly stands 6’2" tall (188 cms), weighs 121 kgs and wears size-14 rugby boots.

Petelo was not the only adult-sized child playing in the Auckland-based tournament known as the “Bill McLaren’s tournament”, many of the children appeared to be well over 5’8 feet tall. The tournament is made up four teams with “select” players from around Auckland.

Petelo’s mother, Mele Lemeki said that she has to carry Petelo’s passport to all of his games just to prove his age.

"Some people see him and say he's just buff and all muscle but he's very intelligent...He's in the top maths class," Mele told the New Zealand Herald.

Mele added that her son’s stature made him a marked man on the rugby field. She stated, "He becomes like a big target on the field - because he stands out he gets marked as soon as he walks on so he has to work harder or just as hard as everyone else on the field,"

Petelo and his family live in Auckland. He attends Dilworth Junior Campus and is the deputy head boy for his school. Petelo’s rugby team, Auckland East, recently won the annual Bill McLaren’s tournament in New Zealand.

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the average size for adult men in New Zealand is 5’9 feet (175cms) and 87kgs.