Hawke’s Bay Tui and Hurricanes Poua midfielder Teilah Ferguson retires from rugby after losing sight in one eye in freak game accident

Teilah Ferguson (with ball) during a match for Hawke's Bay Tui. Photo / Paul Taylor

• Teilah Ferguson, 25, has retired from rugby after losing sight in her left eye during a game.
• Ferguson plans to stay involved in rugby through coaching, having been a player-coach at Napier Tech.
• She expressed gratitude for the support received and aims to maintain a positive outlook.

A talented Hawke’s Bay Tui and Hurricanes Poua rugby player has been forced to retire from the sport after losing sight in one of her eyes in a freak accident during a club game.

Teilah Ferguson, 25, from Napier, announced over social media that she has retired from playing rugby after the accident on Saturday.

A sprig caught her left eye while she was making a tackle in a club match at Elwood Park in Hastings.

“It was just one of those unfortunate freak accidents, where you go in for a tackle and ... a boot just flicked up and found my face,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“I knew instantly that it was bad because I felt the boot go into my eye.”

The midfield back went down holding her left eye, and when she tried to open it, “it was like looking at lava essentially”.

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A post shared by Teilah Ferguson (@teilah_fergy)

Her eye appeared to take the full impact, as there were no cuts next to the eye.

After receiving help on the field, her mother – also a former Tui star – drove her to hospital.

Ferguson said she was treated really well at Hawke’s Bay Hospital and received surgery that night, which highlighted “how displaced everything was” in her eye.

She said there was no chance of seeing out of it again.

She is now at home and will meet with the surgeon again next week.

“We will see what happens after that. If I have the option, I will get a nice, pretty, different-coloured eye.”

Teilah Ferguson in action for the Hurricanes this year. Photo / Photosport.nz

She said she “definitely” planned to stay within the game in some capacity, such as through coaching.

“The beauty of rugby is it does offer a place for everyone.

“I have been a player-coach for my club [Napier Tech] for the past two years, and that coaching aspect has taught me a lot, so maybe that is something I can dive into in the future.

“And I have a lot of different passions and I like doing a lot of different things, and although rugby is finished, it does give me some time to explore the other things I like doing that I wouldn’t otherwise have time to do.”

She said having a positive outlook was important.

“That’s the only way to get through, really, a positive outlook and some laughter in between.”

She said she had been overwhelmed by the amount of support she had received since the accident.

“This has put in perspective how many lives and connections I have crossed through rugby.”

Ferguson starred in the Hawke’s Bay Tui team that made the semifinals of the national provincial competition in 2023 alongside her mum, Julie, who also played in the team.

She debuted for the Hurricanes Poua in 2022 and featured in the 2025 team, whose season wrapped up in April.

Ferguson also studied psychology and food science at the University of Otago and has a business called The Sauna Project.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.