Adam Julian for LockerRoom
From young days growing up tackling sheep on her Arrowtown farm, Olive Watherston is a Black Ferns Sevens rookie already being likened to a Sevens legend.
The 21-year-old, who made an impact in the Black Ferns’ victories in Singapore and Perth in the past fortnight, has been compared to double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Hirini (nee Goss).
Watherston plays prop and hooker in sevens, and prides herself most on her resolute defence.
“It’s cool to be compared to a mini Gossy. I’m a rough and tumble type of girl,” Watherston says with a distinct southern accent rolling the “r”.
“I grew up on a farm, tackling sheep. They’re harder to stop than humans because they’re faster and don’t have a target to aim at.”
Watherston has already played six SVNS tournaments, winning titles in Cape Town, Dubai, Singapore and Perth.
At the start of the month, in a sweltering Perth, the Black Ferns Sevens were too hot to handle on World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Jorja Miller’s 22nd birthday. They won the Australian Sevens title for the fourth time – and for the first time since the event moved west in 2023. Hosts Australia were subdued 29-7 in the final, snapping a 10-game winning streak at HBF Park.
A week earlier, the Black Ferns Sevens overpowered Australia 36-7 in the Singapore decider as they extended their record in the Lion City to 15-0.
In the Singapore final, replacement Watherston grabbed a turnover that led directly to Katelyn Vaha’akolo’s last try. Earlier, she had scored her first try in black in a record 64-0 thrashing of Great Britain.
France were stubborn opponents in the Perth semi-finals, leading twice. Substitute Watherston helped break their resistance with a textbook turnover that led to a try for the prolific Vaha’akolo.
Rugby runs in Watherston’s blood. “My mum was a good rugby player. My oldest sister played for Melville in Hamilton. I guess you could say we love it,” she says.
While at Wakatipu High School, Watherston was lucky the rugby team had been revived after a hiatus. It was coached by former All Blacks Sevens representative Brad Fleming, originally from Tauranga.
“There were four teams, not a lot of games. Sometimes we only had 13 players. In my last year, we won. That was huge,” Watherston reflected.
“For a while, I did equestrian; eventing, show jumping and hunting. I never got far. We couldn’t afford good horses. We always got the young ones or the naughty ones.”
In December 2020, Watherston was selected for the Ignite Sevens in Mt Maunganui, playing alongside Olympic gold medallists Ruby Tui, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Michaela Brake. She was considered too young to stay at the team hotel and was instead billeted by Black Ferns Sevens coach Cory Sweeney.
“That was the first time I saw Sarah Hirini in person. I was a lot smaller then – I got bowled by Dhys Faleafaga. That was frightening,” Watherston laughed.
In 2021, she played two games for the Otago Spirit in the Farah Palmer Cup: a 31-3 victory over Bay of Plenty and a 72-24 humbling at the hands of Canterbury during that team’s 27-game winning streak.
Restless Watherston did enough in those games to catch the eye of James “Ports” Porter, the academy and development manager at Bay of Plenty Rugby.
“Everything you associate with Southern grit, that’s Olive. Tough, practical, ambitious and unassuming,” Porter says.
With the endorsement of Fleming and Sweeney, Watherson relocated from Arrowtown to Mt Maunganui, where the Black Ferns Sevens are based. She was only in Year 12 at college.
“You help out with the initial movement, temporary accommodation, school placement and a few contacts,” explains Porter. “Otherwise, the athletes and their families have to be ready to make the switch into a high-performance set-up and a new city.
“Olive is very driven. She has trained the house down, found employment and a host family, which has to be an organic thing.”
Watherston has worked in a sports shop, milked on dairy farms, and done whatever jobs she can to work in with her sport. She also studies sport and human performance part-time.
“I’m very grateful to have Nicki and Doug as my host family. They both work in the medical field. Keenan is my ‘brother’ – he’s 12. Sometimes I have to keep him in line,” she laughs.
In 2022, Watherston debuted for Bay of Plenty in the FPC and has played nine games. In 2023, she was contracted to the Chiefs Manawa for Super Rugby Aupiki but was injured and didn’t play.
By January 2024, she’d joined the Matakesi Sevens team, founded by Hirini, who won the Coral Coast Sevens in Fiji.
A spot on an invitational team for the Hong Kong 10s in April followed. After landing a Black Ferns development contract, she played in two international tournaments in France in June. In one of those tournaments in Haguenau, New Zealand was victorious.
After that, Watherston didn’t play for five months – first suffering a torn shoulder and then a sprained collarbone.
“Young recruits in the high-performance space are often broken before they arrive. They play everything with little regard for their bodies, and they have to be built again with new diets, gym programmes, and management of workload,” says Porter.
“Sarah Hirini turned a nine-month injury into a six-month recovery and won a gold medal in Paris. Kane Williamson was the same, scoring a test century on his return. You’ve got to be able to roll up your sleeves and get on with it. In that regard, Olive is outstanding.”
Watherson debuted for the Black Ferns Sevens in Cape Town 2024. Coach Cory Sweeney noted: “Olive has an amazing work rate, energy and a real relentlessness about her game; she’s an exciting talent.”
Fast forward to February 2026 and the Black Ferns Sevens are as exciting as ever. Their win in Perth was their 45th out of 57 SVNS finals and their 24th in 34 finals against Australia. They have won three of four tournaments in the 2025-26 SVNS season, leading the league standings by four points with three tournaments to play. In the past 11 tournaments, the Black Ferns Sevens have won the Cup eight times with a 53-4 record in all matches.
Watherston is among the stars. “I wouldn’t say surprised. It feels good. I just put my head down and work the hardest I can.”
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.