Hawke’s Bay Tui women’s rugby players fly into Black Ferns back-up squad

Kahlia Awa scoring against Otago in her Hawke's Bay Tui debut last year. She's now one of five teenagers in the Black Ferns back-up squad for a match later this month. Photo / NZME

Two members of this year’s Hawke’s Bay Tui women’s rugby team, and a recent teammate, have been named in a Black Ferns XV for a match against Samoan national side Manusina later this month.

Following the success of the team in its return to the top level this year – a semi-final placing and being one of only two sides to beat new champions Auckland Storm, the two are prop Moomooga (Ona) Palu, who turns 22 on the day of the match at Pukekohe, and 19-year-old halfback Kahlia Awa, who was playing just her sixth game for the Tui when she scored a try in that win over Auckland in Hastings in July.

Moomooga (Ona) Palu scores for Hawke's Bay against Taranaki in 2019. Photo / NZME

Also in the 27-strong squad to prepare for the one-off match is outside back Harmony Kautai, who was 17 when she made her debut for the Tui two years ago and who this year played for Wellington Pride.

Palu and Awa both went to Hastings Girls High School, where former Black Fern Emma Jensen is a teacher, and Kautai was a pupil at Karamu High School, also in Hastings.

In 2017, Awa was the first girl to captain a team at the century-old Ross Shield Hawke’s Bay Primary Schools rugby tournament.

The Black Ferns XV is the back-up to the world-champion Black Ferns squad which is preparing for its annual cup match against Australia in Hamilton on September 30 and the inaugural six-nations WXV1 tournament from October 23 to November 4.

With Awa and Kautai among five teenagers, the average age is 22 and Black Ferns XV Head Coach Whitney Hansen, daughter of World Cup-winning now-retired All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen, said the squad signals a bright future for the Black Ferns.

“One of the highlights of this year’s Farah Palmer Cup was the number of young players that really impressed for their provinces,” she said. So many players put their hand up for selection that made it a tough job for us as coaches,” said Hansen.

The Tui this year had three wins in six matches after winning promotion to the Farah Palmer Cup Premiership with a championship-division triumph in 2022. The squad this year was captained by former Black Fern Krysten Cottrell and also included form New Zealand Sevens World Cup representative Julie Ferguson.