Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea reveals what has her ‘excited’ in Wallaroos camp

It has been seven years since Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea last played a Test match for the Wallaroos.

Just a teenager when handed her first taste of international rugby, in the years since the powerful centre has curated her craft with Australia Sevens and picked up gold medals at the Rugby Sevens World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2022. But now the 25-year-old has returned to her roots.

Back in the Wallaroos squad ahead of the team’s centenary Test – which will take place against the Black Ferns in Auckland this Saturday – Lefau-Fakaosilea is at the forefront of an ever-changing Australia side. Even if Michaela Leonard and Emily Chancellor remain from her last O’Reilly Cup outing.

“It’s been seven years so it’s good to be back in the 15-a-side game and get that opportunity to be playing this weekend hopefully,” Lefau-Fakaosilea said.

“There’s plenty of familiar faces and a few new ones as well – the girls here are amazing and the vibes are up.”

Australia Sevens guru turned Women’s Performance Director, Tim Walsh, is part of the coaching staff leading the Wallaroos for Saturday’s fixture.

Since his appointment to the role, the decorated sevens coach has been charged with turning the ninth-ranked nation in the world into a full-time programme, as well as to curate the flow of players between XVs and the high-flying women’s sevens set-up.

Walsh works alongside a host of the country’s top women’s rugby coaches, with inbound head coach Sione Fukofuka not starting his new post until the start of 2027.

New Zealand-born Lefau-Fakaosilea is joined in the Wallaroos squad by fellow HSBC SVNS World Championship winners Maddison Levi, Bienne Terita and Tia Hinds.

“We haven’t beaten the Black Ferns but seeing the talent in the group, the trainings that we’ve had I think once we match them, then it will be pretty exciting,” Lefau-Fakaosilea said.

“We have a new bunch of faces and then having Maddi Levi and ‘BB’ [Terita] back into the 15s, we’ll see how this weekend goes but really excited especially with the trainings we’ve been having. The girls have been dominating a lot, especially the forwards.”