“To chase her has been an honour and I’m very grateful she was on my team. She’s been a role model of mine ever since I’ve been in this team, since 2012. It’s an honour to be up there amongst her, so I’m going to hold on to it for as long as I can – until [Australian] Maddi Levi surpasses me.”
Levi, 22, went into the Vancouver event as the leading try-scorer of the series, having notched 30 across the first three events and scoring 182 since making her debut in 2021.
For the Black Ferns, the win against Ireland was a strong way to start the campaign after a runners-up finish in Perth, where they fell to Australia in a two-point loss in the final.
The tournament sees the team welcome Stacey Waaka into the fray for the first time this season after she suffered a fractured fibula while playing the NRLW for the Brisbane Broncos last September.
“It was a good first game for the girls to get good momentum. Obviously with having Stacey [Waaka] back on that edge to get the ball back for us so we’re not having the play on defence as much, so when we have that momentum we can stack some pretty good moments and just hold onto the ball for as long as we can.”
Rookie Maia Davis made her debut off the bench, the 18-year-old getting her first points on the board with a late conversion.
“She’s going to be very crucial for the next few years with the build-up into LA 2028 so to give her this experience in Vancouver is awesome,” Brake said.
“She’s just going to build confidence every time she steps on to the field, and that was her first start. She’s got 15 years in this jersey, so she’s got a bright future ahead of her.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
