‘Thought it would be the end’: Kaka’s emotional Black Ferns Sevens return

“Rugby hasn’t seen the end of me,” Shiray Kaka declared in response to a social media edit about 13 months ago. This week, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist fought back tears while announcing she has signed with the Black Ferns Sevens.

Kaka suffered a devastating knee injury during the 2024 HSBC SVNS Series in Singapore, which ruled the Black Ferns Sevens ace out of the Paris Games. New Zealand claimed gold in front of a sold-out Stade de France crowd, with Kaka supporting from the stands.

That was Kaka’s third ACL rupture, which prompted some self-reflection about whether or not playing rugby was a thing of the past. But the social media star, who has almost 250,000 followers on TikTok and more than 110,000 on Instagram, had some unfinished business.

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After becoming a mother to a baby boy, Kaka began training to see whether a return to the rugby field was possible. There’s a video posted on March 13 of Kaka training with her husband Gilles Kaka and Black Frens Sevens great Kelly Brazier.

It’s been a long road back to the Black Ferns Sevens but Kaka has officially put pen to paper on a new deal. In an emotional clip shared online this week, Kaka opened up about how becoming a mother influenced her journey back to the national sevens side.

“I wasn’t going to cry, I wasn’t going to, I’m not going to, I’m not going to,” Kaka said.

“I was working towards the Paris 2024 Olympics and I was well on my way there and then a couple of months before I did my ACL. I thought it would be the end for me because that’s my third ACL.

“There was a moment there where I was just like, okay, you know, we’re just going to start a family, give up on rugby and see what’s next for me. And I did that.

“Beautiful baby boy, Korihi Malosi Kaka. Once I had him in my arms I just thought, actually, I want to show him in the flesh what mum can do.

“12 weeks is up, the goal was to get back to game-ready. I wasn’t looking for a contract but I got one and I’m signed baby! I’m signed with the Black Ferns Sevens. We’re back.”

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Kaka joins a Black Ferns Sevens outfit that showed immense promise during the 2026 season but fell short of the circuit’s top prize in Bordeaux. New Zealand were the team to beat throughout the regular season but fell to Australia during the new-look SVNS World Championship.

Jorja Miller starred as the Black Ferns Sevens won five of six regular season events, and then the fan favourite Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. But Australia then claimed silverware at SVNS Valladolid and backed up those heroics in Bordeaux.

It was effectively a winner-takes-all decider at Stade Atlantique, with an entire season coming down to one last Cup Final. But Maddison Levi stole the show as the Aussies claimed a 26-19 win, seeing them become world champions once again.