Dermody determined to do family name proud in Black Ferns trial

Trials aren’t easy to prepare for or play in. How does one balance the team’s best interests with personal ambition, especially with limited time together?

When the Black Ferns XV plays the Black Ferns at Maidstone Park in Upper Hutt, Wellington, on Friday, 27 players have a chance to push for the top squad.

Matatu lock Emma Dermody is known for her work in tight exchanges: clearing rucks, making tackles, winning lineouts, and retrieving kick-offs. Not glamorous work. How does Dermody get the best out of what is essentially an individual showcase?

“A week together isn’t long, but the coaches have done a good job putting in place a game plan that’s quick to pick up and effective if executed,” Dermody told RugbyPass.

“Most players in this game have played with or against each other. We have prior knowledge of skills. The key is connecting to give ourselves the best chance to showcase our talent.

“We’ve got nothing to lose. We’ll play to win, and it will come down to winning moments. Another job is to prepare the Black Ferns for tough games ahead. That’s in everybody’s best interests.

“One benefit of this environment is being surrounded by the best players and coaches in New Zealand. That is hugely beneficial.”

Dermody returns to the Black Ferns XV for the first time since their first match in 2023, a 38-12 win against Manusina XV 38-12 at Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe. In 2025 she missed selection for the tour of South Africa, recovering from shoulder surgery.

The Black Ferns XV locks also include Sam Taylor, who captained the Hurricanes Poua to their best-ever season with four wins in six matches after 12 consecutive defeats.

Taylor has won 14 of 17 matches with Manawatu in the Farah Palmer Cup [FPC] and, like Dermody, ranked in the top 10 of Super Rugby Aupiki for lineout catches and tackles. Paris Lokotui is a professional netball convert who impressed for Matat?.

They will joust against Blues captain Maia Roos, who has featured in 41 of the last 44 Black Ferns Tests, and Laura Bayfield, another top-10 tackler and lineout catcher in Aupiki.

Interestingly, the Black Ferns reserves don’t include a specialist lock, though starting loose forwards Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, Elimor-Plum King, and Mia Anderson can all jump in the lineout. From the bench, loose forward Amarante Sititi could add lineout skill to her repertoire.

Dermody has played 26 matches for Canterbury in the FPC with 21 wins, including a 2022 Premiership title. In 2023 she helped Matatu win Super Rugby Aupiki for the only time and featured in six of seven games in the 2026 campaign. Matatu beat every side and lost the final on a last-play try 28-21 to the Blues in Christchurch. Her game is unassuming and uncompromising, which is unsurprising given her pedigree.

The Dermody family is a Southland rugby dynasty. Her father, Malcolm Dermody, played for Southland, and her sister, Jessica Dermody, has played for Otago and Auckland. Other family members have also featured in first-class rugby.

Fergus Dermody played 62 games for Southland at lock between 1974 and 1983. His brother and fellow lock Gerald was capped 128 times, and another brother, Stuart, also represented Southland.

Grant and Sean Dermody are from the same bloodline and played for Southland. Clarke Dermody was an All Blacks prop in three Test wins in 2006. Jason’s great-great-grandfather was 1893 All Black Graham Shannon. The 1893 Australia tour was the first arranged by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, founded the previous year.

At Southland Boys’ High School, Jason Dermody coached the First XV to their fairytale National Top Four win in 2023. Dermody won the equivalent female tournament at Southland Girls’ High School in 2016 with her sister Jessica and Black Ferns Amy du Plessis and Alena Saili, who scored a hat-trick in the final against St Mary’s College, Wellington.

In 2018, Saili was the first woman from Southland since the first Black Fern Jacqui Apiata and prop Carol Hayes to be selected for New Zealand in a 31-11 win over Australia in Sydney.

“You forgot my Mitchells,” Dermody laughed.

Emma is a cousin of hooker Brayden Mitchell, who played 52 games for Southland and was part of the 2010 Ranfurly Shield team. He also represented Waikato and played 28 Super Rugby games with the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs. His brother is prop Morgan Mitchell, who played 82 games for Southland.

“Southland’s a small place,” Dermody wryly observed. “Rugby’s always been in the family. It’s not like I had any other choice. Actually, I was on a netball scholarship at Lincoln University in Canterbury and switched to rugby.

“I’m a farm girl through and through. My happy place is the family sheep and beef farm in Tokanui where my grandparents live now. We can see Stewart Island from our place.

“In Christchurch, I often go to Hannah King’s parents’ place to get my farm fix. They run a dairy farm closer to home. Georgia Ponsonby is another farmer.”