Pia Tapsell: 'I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about the reception'

The Black Ferns’ euphoric 2022 season was a nightmare for Pia Tapsell.

The abrasive loose forward who started all six Tests in a successful 2019, when the Black Ferns defeated England 28-13 in San Diego en route to a Super Series title, missed selection for the Women’s Rugby World Cup. A serious ACL injury ruled her out for all of 2023.

A slow recovery and desire for a new challenge led her to move to Australia. On August 22 at North Harbour Stadium in Albany, she became the first woman to play a Test match for both the Black Ferns and the Wallaroos when she came off the bench for Australia in the last half hour of their 66-19 defeat.

“I was doing the words to the haka in my head. I guess that’s a sign of respect. It was a very weird feeling facing it,” Tapsell told RugbyPass.

“I got lots of messages from New Zealand congratulating me. The Black Ferns girls were cool about it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about the reception. I’ve played with a few of the Black Ferns, like Ayesha Leti-I’iga, Georgia Ponsonby, Pip Love, Maia Roos, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, and Ruahei Demant.

“The game itself didn’t go as planned. The Black Ferns were very clinical and have some freakish young talent coming through. It was the first time I’ve played against Braxton Sorensen-McGee; she’s unbelievable.

“We’re in a transitional phase with interim coaches to be replaced in the new year. We only assembled a week prior and have a lot of new players, a new game plan and a defensive system to implement.

“We aimed to achieve small goals; some happened, some didn’t. We wanted to be higher on the edges and shut down their plays before they happened. We couldn’t because of the speed of their ruck ball. On attack, we found our shape occasionally and enjoyed some success.”

The 28-year-old added: “Why Australia? I felt my career had regressed in New Zealand and wanted a new challenge. I enjoyed my rugby at the Western Force in Perth. It was a little different, a lot more structured, but new coaches, people, surroundings, and ideas were great for me. It helped that the Force is privately owned, which took away much of the stress of moving to a new place.”

Seven men have played for both the All Blacks and Wallabies: Ted Jessep, Des Connor, Owen Stephens, Alex Hodgman and Aidan Ross played Tests for both countries. Two other Wallabies – Bill Hardcastle and Eddie Stapleton – also have All Black numbers from playing in tour matches, but they were not capped.

Although born in Melbourne, Tapsell seemed an unlikely candidate to break the mould.

She attended Takapuna Grammar School, but played for Glenfield College and Hato Petera College since Takapuna didn’t have a team. She was part of a championship-winning team at Glenfield College, while Hato Petera, coached by her father Mark, made two finals.

At the same time, she played senior rugby for East Coast Bays, who after winning a development competition, joined the highly competitive Coleman Shield in Auckland.

North Harbour had a National Provincial Championship team in 2005, before ceasing to exist until 2016. Tapsell played 25 games for the revived Hibiscus and scored a record nine tries by the time she left for Bay of Plenty in 2020.

Highlights included making championship semi-finals in 2017 and 2018 and earning her first Black Ferns trial in the latter season. An ankle injury kept her out of the squad, but by 2019, she cancelled her 21st birthday celebrations to fly to San Diego for the Super Series.

With little expectation of game time, Tapsell remarkably started every match in the tournament won by New Zealand. She described her debut in the 35-20 win against Canada as “overwhelming” and scored a try in the 45th minute against the USA to help crush their resistance.

In a replay of the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup Final against England, Tapsell was fearless.

“There’s always been an edge when it’s England against New Zealand, and I could feel that during the haka,” Tapsell said. “It was a different vibe than normal, especially when they started smiling.

“I didn’t know much about the English players, and I think that was good because it let me play without fear of reputation.”

The biggest official crowd at Perth Stadium was for the Bledisloe Cup between the All Blacks and Australia in 2019, when over 61,000 people watched the Wallabies win 47- 26.

The Black Ferns played the curtain raiser, and Tapsell had a blinder as the Wallaroos were crushed 47-10. The Guardian reported: “The impact on any team of the Black Ferns in full flight, given enough possession and space, is a debilitating one.”

A torn labrum, along with the Covid-19 pandemic, threatened to derail Tapsell in 2020. She struggled through 11 games in three seasons for Bay of Plenty and won all four matches and the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki title with Chiefs Manawa in 2022.

However, when she suffered her ACL injury, it was time for a reset.

In addition to joining the Force, she played in the NRLW for the Cronulla Sharks and St. George Illawarra Dragons.

“I never got a game at the Sharks. It was an intense and different environment. The game is very different: run straight, six tackles, then kick. I enjoyed other aspects of rugby much more, like lineout, scrum, and breakdown. I didn’t have enough stimulation in league,” Tapsell laughed.

“I was proud to debut for the Dragons. I played five games, and we won three. I learned a lot about professionalism, while also rediscovering my love of rugby.

“With age and experience, I don’t put myself under so much pressure anymore regarding statistics and mistakes. I’m more confident about picking my moments and better understanding my strengths: physical carries, getting up off the ground quickly, and contesting the breakdown.”

The Wallaroos face the ultimate challenge at the start of their WXV Global Series campaign. On September 12, they joust with world champions England at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford.

The Red Roses have won 68 of their last 69 internationals, including 38-game winning streak, but can the Wallaroos disrupt it?

“I love the way England play, old-school physicality in the scrums and the lineouts. It’s a huge challenge. We’ve identified some things we really want to improve on. If we can keep building, we’ll gain more confidence,” Tapsell concluded.