Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a: The Black Ferns rising star who thrives on big moments

Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a has a penchant for big moments. The 20-year-old winger scored four tries in the Black Ferns 81-12 thrashing of France in Hamilton, just her fourth Test and first at home.

A year earlier on the same field, she scored the winning try in the Farah Palmer Cup [FPC] final for Waikato in their 19-13 win over Canterbury. It was her fifth try in four appearances, all of them victories, with the other successes against Bay of Plenty [88-5], Hawke’s Bay [60-17] and Auckland [36-29].

In Super Rugby Aupiki 2026, Chiefs Manawa didn’t win a game but Tuliau-Tua’a was their most outstanding player. Across six games she ranked third in tries [five], fifth in points [25], ninth in carries [55], third in clean breaks [nine], and first in defenders beaten [28], metres gained [626], and offloads [12].

It’s a meteoric rise for Tuliau-Tua’a who, while at Hamilton Girls’ High School in 2024, was selected for the FPC but was injured in a pre-season match. The setback lasted a year.

“I just finished the hard work of the team. It was nothing amazing,” Tuliau-Tuaa told RugbyPass with almost self-deprecating modesty about her French quartet.

“One of my work-ons has been scanning and communicating. I have to look harder for space. I did well to find it and communicate back to the midfield. They did a great job to find me.”

She scored another try in the Black Ferns 31-12 win in the second Test in Whangarei.

The oldest of four siblings first found rugby at Sacred Heart Girls’ College in Hamilton. She was set on a career in the sport even before she became a senior.

“I was a junior on a senior sevens team. We finished second at Condors. On the way home with Mum, I told her rugby is really fun; this is what I want to do,” Tuliau-Tua’a recalled.

“I was still playing netball in Year 11 but chose to commit to rugby. It’s hard to name my biggest influences. Many people have helped me on my journey.”

Tuliau-Tua’a identified Waikato FPC coach Reuben Samuel, fellow Black Ferns wingers Mererangi Paul and Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Black Ferns coach Whitney Hansen as just some of the key figures that have helped her ascent.

New Zealand Rugby have had their eyes on Tuliau-Tua’a since she was part of the New Zealand U18 Girls Sevens team in 2022 and 2023.

Since the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022, the number of girls aged 15 to 20 playing rugby has increased by 26% overall. This includes a 28% increase in school leavers [18-year-olds], with more than 3000 players in the Under-18 cohort.

In the 2025 FPC, 97 players born in 2006 or later competed across 13 teams. In theory, that young talent alongside players exposed to a growing Super Rugby Aupiki should lift standards.

Kendra Cocksedge – better known as the most-capped Black Fern – is now New Zealand Rugby’s women’s high-performance pathway manager and explained what a girls academy looks like.

“Girls in the academy space have gym and skills sessions, player development support around understanding technical and tactical aspects of the game, as well as managing diet and some off-field challenges,” she said.

“There isn’t the volume of games or opportunities in the girls space that exist in the more established boys space but that is growing.”

“We have a U18 North-South game, Global Youth Sevens in Auckland in December, and the Nga Mareikura Under-18 Maori girls development and pathways programme.

“When we bring girls into this collective environment, we want to create the best experience possible, which includes more than rugby. A sense of belonging and engaging a captive audience is essential.

“There is also some cross-coding. We source talent from netball, volleyball, and rugby league. We encourage girls to play other sports for greater balance. There are crossover skills.”

Black Ferns coach Whitney Hansen has continued this phased approach of development with Tuliau-Tua’a.

“We’ve been really strategic around how we’ve brought her in as a young athlete. When she came away to Pac4 [Pacific Four Series], she knew she wasn’t going to play; she was learning what it was like to be in a professional environment, to be around that, to create some habits, give her a game in the northern tour, and I think France just showcased that she’s come through a really awesome pathway and has been surrounded by some exceptional leaders who have allowed her to go out and be confident and play her game.”

Tuliau-Tua’a scored a try in her first Test, a 66-19 win against Australia in Auckland in August. She also played in wins against France [28-14] and Scotland [66-14].

But it was in the slaughter of the French, the Black Ferns’ biggest win against France since 1996, that Tuliau-Tua’a came of age. There’s even a new word to describe her prowess: “Shylights.”