Ardie Savea's controversial gesture saw rival scream 'he's ...

Ask any knowledgeable rugby fan who is the best forward in world rugby the vast majority would select Ardie Savea without any hesitation.

The New Zealand back-rower is a superstar in every sense of the world, and if it wasn't for French maestro Antoine Dupont would probably be the undisputed best player on the planet. South African behemoth Eben Etzebeth is currently the only forward who is in the same stratosphere as the 30-year-old.

Savea is a phenomenal player, and even when the All Blacks almost fell off a cliff some 18 months ago, he was one player who never dropped below a nine out of 10. This is the story of one of world rugby's biggest superstar.

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Savea grew up in Wellington to Samoan parents. His father who came to New Zealand as a teenager from Samoa worked overnight in a bakery to support his family.

Savea's older brother, Julian, is also an All Black, winning 54 caps for New Zealand, and was a prolific try scorer.

Growing up Savea has said his family struggled for money, but were rich in love. "We used to live next to Athletic Park," Savea told the All Blacks' official Youtube account.

"We couldn't afford to have Sky or whatever or go to the games so dad always took us to the TAB in the pub. We weren't 18 but because we were locals and dad was always there the lady used to let us in.

"Me and Jules used to sit there with our peanuts. We were rich in love. Read my weekly column in our rugby newsletter

"Mum and dad did everything to make me and my brother the best we could be but we didn't have a car so sometimes the games were like two hours out. Most of the time we were walking there.

"When you have nothing bro all you've got to do is use your imagination, and create fun for yourself. That's what me and Jules did."

But it wasn't long until the back-rower would break into the big time as a professional rugby player.

After graduating from Rongotai College, where he captained the first XV as head boy, Savea made his name for Wellington in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship before earning a contract with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby back in 2015. His performances for Wellington was nothing short of remarkable for an 18-year-old with Savea scoring 17 tries in 36 appearances in the space of a year.

Savea made an instant impact on Super Rugby with his explosive carrying, offloading game, ability at the breakdown, relentless defence, and leadership standing out.

Savea's real breakthrough season came in 2016 when he played a pivotal part in the Hurricanes getting crowned Super Rugby champions, playing alongside future Wales centre Uilisi Halaholo. After representing New Zealand at Sevens, Savea made his All Blacks debut against Wales at Eden Park where he came off the bench to help fire New Zealand to a hard-fought 39-21 victory over Warren Gatland's men.

Since then Savea's career has gone from strength to strength with the 30-year-old winning 79 caps for the All Blacks, and scoring a remarkable 23 tries for his country. He has become a pivotal part of this All Blacks side, helping them win seven Rugby Championship titles.

Savea was the subject of a major controversy this season when in a Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Melbourne Rebels he made a throat slitting gesture towards an opponent. The incident was sparked when Rebels lock Josh Canham and Dane Coles got into a scuffle which eventually involved Savea's brother Julian who was given a yellow card for escalating the situation.

Rebels scrum-half Ryan Louwrens clapped in front of Savea after he was given his marching orders, prompting a fiery response from the big number eight, who pointed at the nine and drew his thumb across his neck in what appeared to be a throat-slitting gesture. The commentary team were clearly taken aback by the act.

A microphone picked up a player saying: "He's threatening to f*****g kill him, he's threatening to kill him", but it is unclear who that came from. At half time former Australia international Justin Harrison criticised Savea's actions.

I don't think I've seen any player make that sort of action and gesture in amongst the game," said Harrison. "There's been some argy bargy and some grabbing of jerseys and some wrestling, but for me Ardie Savea comes in here grabs Carter Gordon from behind and throws him to the ground and rightfully returns Ardie with a yellow card.

"This sort of carry on (gesture), you know there are different ways to get a message across." The throat slitting gesture earnt Savea a week ban.

Savea is very passionate about fashion, and runs a long-standing clothing brand. He is also a mental health advocate trying to inspire those who are struggling with their emotions.

Savea himself has previously revealed his struggles with mental health, and the effects it can have on professional sportspeople. "I've had moments where I've cried because I miss my girls who are at home and just wish I was with them. It's been [five] weeks," he once wrote on Instagram. Join WalesOnline Rugby's new WhatsApp Channel here

"I'm working on breathing techniques to calm me down because I get angry sometimes and say stupid things that I don't mean. Especially to my wife. So much better now, I remove myself from the situation and take time to calm down."

Savea is also a part of Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports International stable which also includes South Africa's inspirational World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi.