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Five newcomers announced among 2024 Black Ferns contracts
Form has been rewarded for five players following the biggest Super Rugby Aupiki season to date, with Black Ferns Director of Rugby Allan Bunting suitably impressed by the several youngsters who took the 2024 season by storm.
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Atlanta Lolohea (Matatu), Hannah King (Hurricanes Poua) Kahlia Awa (Blues), Maama Vaipulu (Blues) and Maia Joseph (Matatu) have all been rewarded for their respective Aupiki campaigns with their first full-time Black Ferns contracts.
The 40-strong group of contracted players for 2024 features a huge contingent of 2021 (played in 2022) World Cup winners, offering plenty of experience for the newcomers to tap into.
Bunting said the newbies had huge potential in key positions.
“It is exciting to be able to see the growth we are building in our game at the moment. While it makes for a tough selection, it gives us an opportunity to expose more talent to the international stage in specific areas we are looking at moving into the future and towards Rugby World Cup 2025.
“These new players have really stood out consistently in their own way across Sky Super Rugby Aupiki, that has been apparent in the way they hold themselves on and off the field.
“It is an exciting opportunity for them to come on this journey and look to continue their growth both on and off the field. The future of our internal competition is exciting to see.”
Along with the five new players, four players return to the Black Ferns environment having already donned the black jersey; Prop Aldora Itunu (Blues), newly converted prop Marcelle Parkes (Matatu), illusive loose forward Kaipo Olsen-Baker (Matatu) and powerful midfielder Monica Tagoai (Hurricanes Poua).
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“We are pleased to be able to welcome back these experienced players into our environment,” Bunting said. “Their perseverance, physical presence and ability to impact games has been evident. They have been standouts for their respective teams during Sky Super Rugby Aupiki and we are excited to see what they bring to the environment.”
Black Ferns 2024 contracted group
Alana Bremner (Matatu, Canterbury)
Aldora Itunu (Blues, Auckland)
Amy du Plessis (Matatu, Canterbury)
Amy Rule (Matatu, Canterbury)
Ariana Bayler (Chiefs Manawa, Waikato)
Atlanta Lolohea (Matatu, Canterbury)
Ayesha Leti-I’iga (Hurricanes Poua, Wellington)
Awhi Tangen-Wainohu (Chiefs Manawa, Waikato)
Charmaine Smith (Chiefs Manawa, Northland)
Chelsea Bremner (Chiefs Manawa, Canterbury)
Chryss Viliko (Blues, Auckland)
Georgia Ponsonby (Matatu, Canterbury)
Grace Steinmetz (Chiefs Manawa, Canterbury)
Hannah King (Hurricanes Poua, Canterbury)
Iritana Hohaia (Hurricanes Poua, Taranaki)
Joanah Ngan Woo (Hurricanes Poua, Wellington)
Kahlia Awa (Blues, Hawke’s Bay)
Kaipo Olsen-Baker (Matat?, Manawat?)
Kate Henwood (Chiefs Manawa, Bay of Plenty)
Katelyn Vahaakolo (Blues, Auckland)
Kennedy Simon (Chiefs Manawa, Waikato)
Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (Blues, Auckland)
Layla Sae (Hurricanes Poua, Manawat?)
Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai’i (Sylvia) Brunt (Blues, Auckland)
Lucy Jenkins (Matatu, Canterbury)
Luka Connor (Chiefs Manawa, Bay of Plenty)
Leaso Grace Gago Tiatia (Blues, Counties Manukau)
Maama Vaipulu (Blues, Auckland)
Maia Joseph (Matat?, Otago)
Maiakawanakaulani Roos (Blues, Auckland)
Marcelle Parkes (Matatu, Canterbury)
Mererangi Paul (Chiefs Manawa, Counties Manukau)
Monica Tagoai (Hurricanes Poua, Wellington)
Patricia Maliepo (Blues, Auckland)
Renee Holmes (Chiefs Manawa, Waikato)
Ruahei Demant (Blues, Auckland)
Ruby Tui (Chiefs Manawa, Counties Manukau)
Santo Taumata (Chiefs Manawa, Bay of Plenty)
Sophie Fisher (Blues, Auckland)
Tanya Kalounivale (Chiefs Manawa, Waikato)
Injury cover: Phillipa Love, Liv McGoverne and Mia Anderson.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
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