As Samoa and Fiji gear up for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, their final prep matches have come with powerful support.
A group of wāhine Māori have banded together, some even coming out of retirement, to help their Pacific sisters get much-needed game time.
But this wasn’t just about match fitness. This was about mana, whakapapa, and a long-overdue dream: creating an official Māori women’s rugby team.
Led by Black Ferns past and present, the wāhine Māori side was full of familiar names and fresh energy.
Coaches Rawinia Everitt and Arahiana Marino-Tauhinu called on legends like Steph Te Haere-Fox and Eloise Blackwell to lace up their boots once more, not for accolades, but for a cause.
This was the third time in 13 years a Māori women’s team has been pulled together, having previously faced Tonga and Fiji.
But with each match, the call grows louder: if the Māori All Blacks have existed for over 100 years, why can’t wāhine Māori have the same platform?
Black Ferns Sevens and Chiefs Manawa player Chyna Hohepa says, “It’s not just a one-off anymore. This is identity. This is legacy. This is something we should be building permanently.”
As the players reflect on another powerful performance, the real win may be in what comes next - a pathway not just for teams, but for generations.
Watch the story on Whakaata Māori’s Māori+.
