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

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Katelyn Vahaakolo of New Zealand runs with the ball during the Women's International Test between England Red Roses and New Zealand Black Ferns at Allianz Stadium on September 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

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.

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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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    “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.

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    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.

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    “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.”

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    Comments

    1 Comment
    S
    SteveD 195 days ago

    Ooh, no, no, no! You mustn't dare touch the monarch. It's just not on. I can imagine the bowers and scrapers of the so-called 'royal household' would have been having apoplectic fits that a colonial woman would dare do that!


    Well done, love!!

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    JW 2 hours ago
    Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

    Yep, another problem!


    I think he would have, in the instance I mentioned, which wasn’t changing anything other than correctly applying todays eligibility quidelines. Which is an arbitrary construct, as the deal likely would have played out completely differently, but I just ‘allowed’ him to have 1 year sabbatically for his ‘loyalty’, rather than having some arbitrary number like 70 caps required.


    So if Richie had a 3 year deal, and the first year he was allowed to use him still, I don’t think he’d really not transition to Dmac being his main 10, as he’s obviously the only one he can use for the following two years, therefore likely his only real option for the WC (very hard for Richie to overtake him in such a short time). Richie would purely be a security net in a situation like I proposition where there are only small changes to the eligibility.


    The system is not working well enough though, as we don’t have the Rugby Championship or World Cup trophies, do we? Well on that last question, that’s all I’m really saying but I would not believe a word this author says, so it’s entirely a ‘what if’ discussion, but if the author is right and now they are actually going to be more flexible, I think that’s great yeah. Ultimately thought I think those two players were an anomaly signing their contracts and futures up so far ahead, especially of when they were performing. Both jumped at the opportunity of good contracts when their All Black prospects weren’t looking that bright.

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