Who are the Black Ferns to watch in the 2026 Pacific Four Series?

Black Ferns Head Coach Whitney Hansen named her squad for April’s Pacific Four Series on March 23rd, and now we have had a week or two to mull it over, many players stand out on the list, but there are a few names who could prove to be a beacon of light for the squad who’ll face Australia, the USA and Canada, a team they dramatically lost the Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final to just six months ago.

20 players from last year’s World Cup return, with eight new faces in-line for potential debuts. Among the squad, nine players were also part of the inaugural Black Ferns XV squad in 2023 under Hansen.

Unfortunately, New Zealand are without sevens superstars Braxton Sorenson-McGee, Jorja Miller and Katelyn Vahaakolo.

The dominant Black Ferns, winners of 115 out of a total 140 Tests, are at the dawn of a new era in 2026. So, who are five players to watch in the Pacific Four Series 2026?

Georgia Ponsonby (26, Canterbury, 37 Tests)
Arguably the best hooker in the women’s game, she was again nominated for Black Ferns Player of the Year in 2025. Ponsonby played all 10 Tests and 306 of a possible 480 minutes at the Rugby World Cup, topping the tackle count in the semi-final against Canada with 21.

The Black Ferns secured 33 of 36 lineout throws by Ponsonby, the highest percentage of any hooker at the World Cup, with more than 30 throws. After the tournament, she signed for Trailfinders in the PWR in England and has continued her outstanding form. She ranks in the top ten for tries with eight, while the Trailfinders lineout has won 138 of 172 throws.

Ponsonby hasn’t been seriously challenged for her starting position in the Black Ferns since 2023. If she is unavailable, it would be a major loss of experience, mobility in attack and defence, and set-piece precision.

Kennedy Tukuafu (29, Waikato, 34 Tests)
Loose forward is not a position where the Black Ferns are weak. Kaipo Olsen-Baker was Black Ferns Player of the Year in 2024 after Liana Mikaele-Tu’u won the prize in 2023. Tukuafu was named Black Ferns Player of the Year in 2021 and was appointed co-captain in 2022, a vital part of the Rugby World Cup-winning team that year.

In 2025, Tukuafu was among the Chiefs’ best in Super Rugby Aupuki, ranking in the top ten tacklers. She featured in seven of the Black Ferns’ 10 Tests, showing her leadership and versatility, with her abrasive style remaining essential. However, competition from young players like Tafua Bason, Mia Anderson, and Laura Bayfield, who can also play in the loose, will require Tukuafu to reach the levels she showed in 2021 and 2022 to command the same respect she has had in the past.

Maia Joseph (23, Otago, 16 Tests)
One of only two halfbacks named in the squad, alongside uncapped Northlander Tara Turner, Joseph has only missed two of a possible 18 Tests since her debut in a 57-5 win against the USA in Hamilton in 2024.

Joseph scored a memorable try in the 40-0 whitewash over Ireland at the 2025 Rugby World Cup and helped the Black Ferns win the PAC4 in 2025.

However, consistency, like for her team, has been an issue. Joseph competed for a starting spot at the World Cup with Black Ferns Sevens captain Risi Pouri-Lane, coming off the bench in the majority of encounters.

The Black Ferns must improve their kicking game to match Canada. Joseph will be central to this. Can she speed up her distribution and decision-making?

Hollyrae Mete-Renata (22, Manawat?, uncapped)
Mete-Renata debuted for Manawatu in the Farah Palmer Cup back in 2021 and by 2024 she won the Fiao’o Faamausili medal for best player in the FPC, an accolade also earned by Rugby World Cup-winning Black Ferns Hazel Tubic, Kendra Cocksedge, Kyrstal Murray, and Chelsea Bremner.

That season, playing for the championship-winning Cyclones, she was the most dominant attacking player in the competition, ranking first for clean breaks (21), defenders beaten (64), metres gained (897), and offloads (32) in six appearances.

In 2025, she joined Matatu for Super Rugby Aupiki and played in a 37-29 win over eventual champions the Blues. Several Blues later became her teammates when she joined Auckland in the FPC, helping the Storm reach the semi-finals and scoring six tries in seven matches.

She was selected for the Black Ferns XV tour of South Africa in August 2025 and scored a try in the first-up 34-26 victory over South Africa.

Taufa Bason (19, Manawat?, uncapped)
Bason is a dynamic flanker who won the Fiao’o Faamausili Medal for Auckland as the standout performer of the Farah Palmer Cup last year. She ranked in the top ten for carries (101), tries (6), defenders beaten (37), and clean breaks (15), capping a groundbreaking year.

Without a contract at the start of the Super Rugby Aupiki season, she moved from Matatu in January to the Blues for a wider training squad spot. By April, she played a starring role for the 2025 champions, in their 26-19 final win over the Southerners at Eden Park. Five days later, she helped tame the Waratahs in the inaugural Super Rugby Champions clash, winning 36-5 at North Harbour Stadium.

Black Ferns assistant coach Riki Flutey revealed she ‘made a huge impression last year with her dynamic play’ touring South Africa with the Black Ferns XV and playing in both games of a keenly fought series that was split a win apiece.

The Pacific Four Series begins on Saturday 11th April, with the Black Ferns kicking off the tournament against hosts the USA.

Fixture

Pacific Four Series

USA Women

16:00

11 Apr 26

New Zealand Women

All Stats and Data