Playing on both sides of the scrum, Bent was a key cog in Taranaki's third place ITM Cup finish and Ranfurly Shield winning season.
After being used as nothing more than a bit part player for the Hurricanes in 2012, Bent returned to Taranaki and played in every one of the side's 13 first-class matches.
While he was used extensively as a loosehead prop in 2011, Bent showed his versatility by making the No 3 jersey his own in a campaign that saw Taranaki defend the Ranfurly Shield six times and win seven of their 10 regular season national provincial championship fixtures.
Surprisingly, and an anomaly of the awards, Bent was not named forward of the year by the selection panel made up of the Taranaki management team.
He qualifies to play for Ireland through his Irish grandmother, and made his debut against South Africa on 10 November 2012 at Lansdowne Road.