New captain was
The new Black Ferns captain has parked her law career for rugby and will lead her country in their first home tests in nearly three years.
Auckland first five-eighth Ruahei Demant was this week named Black Ferns skipper for next month’s Pacific Four Series in New Zealand.
With Les Elder, the captain since 2019, absent for the series while she returns to full fitness for this year’s Rugby World Cup, the 27-year-old Demant is set to lead the Black Ferns in tests against Australia, Canada and the United States in June.
Demant’s elevation to the captaincy completes a remarkable rise for the
East Coast-raised No 10, who was head girl at Warkworth’s Mahurangi College before playing in the
Farah Palmer Cup for Auckland.
She was told she would never play again by a surgeon after suffering three ACL injuries – twice in her left knee and once in her right – between 2013 and 2015.
‘‘I was OK with that and had come to terms with it,’’ Demant said.
‘‘I just wanted to play rugby and have fun with my mates on a Saturday at my club, College Rifles.
‘‘To have the opportunity to captain this team is something I never, ever dreamed of.’’
Demant, who grew up in the tiny Bay of Plenty town of Omaio, made her Black Ferns debut against Australia in Sydney in 2018 and has played 15 tests since.
She was among the first Black Ferns to be offered a fulltime contract in February, as New Zealand Rugby gave 29 women’s players professional deals for the first time.
That meant Demant, who previously worked at the North Shore District Court in the criminal registry as a deputy registrar, can commit everything to rugby for their defence of the World Cup on home soil.
It’s the first time the women’s World Cup will be in New