'He could just be normal': Black Ferns star discusses King Charles hug

New Zealand star Katelyn Vahaakolo joked that King Charles III “really needed that hug” as she detailed the moment the Black Ferns embraced the 75-year-old Monarch this week.

The Black Ferns met the King at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday as they prepared for their Test against England at Allianz Stadium, and Vahaakolo’s fellow winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga took the opportunity to ask him for a hug.

“A hug? Why not,” King Charles responded before being enveloped by the players.

Speaking after New Zealand’s 24-12 defeat to the Red Roses on Saturday, in which she scored both of her side’s two tries, Vahaakolo praised Leti-I’iga for having the courage to ask the question.

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With exactly one year to go until Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 kicks off
in Sunderland, excitement is sweeping across the host nation in anticipation of what
will be the biggest and most accessible celebration of women’s rugby ever.

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“That’s just her natural personality,” she said. “But I actually think the King really needed that hug.

“Just his smile was so genuine and I’m glad we have team-mates like her, who can, I guess, make it a bit more chill.

“I guess he probably felt like he could just be normal and yeah, I thought that was really cool.”

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Vahaakolo took her Test tally to 15 tries in only 11 matches with a second-half double at the newly renamed Allianz Stadium in south-west London.

Although the visitors dominated possession and territory for large periods, the winger’s intervention came too late as England were already 24 points to the good by the time she crossed the whitewash for the first time.

However, despite admitting that the Black Ferns are “sore losers”, Vahaakolo was delighted with the way that her team-mates played against the world’s number one team and believes they have improved in the 10 months since they lost 33-12 against the same opposition in Auckland.

“I think that we’ve grown so much as a team from the last time versus England and it was really cool to see that growth transfer onto the field,” Vahaakolo said.

“I think in the first half we could have been a bit more, I guess, intentional with our intensity. They got a few points in and I think that kind of put us on the back burner.

“But in the second half I really thought we came out way more dominant. We really lifted our tempo. So, even though we lost, I’m very, very proud of our team.”