05 Fiao’o Fa’aumausili

Black Ferns Captain

IT TAKES A LOT OF MY TIME AND MY FAMILY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE. MY FRIENDS ARE REALLY SUPPORTIVE. WHEN ONE THING SLOWS DOWN, THEN I’LL HAVE MORE TIME FOR OTHER THINGS.’ FIAO’O FA’AUMAUSILI

Fiao’o Fa’aumausili became a household name when she captained the Black Ferns to World Cup glory in Northern Ireland and scored a hat-trick of tries in the final.

She returned home a hero and chose that moment, having turned 37, to retire – saying she felt she had done all she could and it was time for her to dedicate herself to her career as a Police sergeant in South Auckland.

She was an inspirational leader to her team and a great loss when she stood down. But by February this year, she was feeling fitter than she had ever been and was starting to feel like she wasn’t ready to give it all up.

So she was persuaded out of retirement to essentially mentor a young group that contained a handful of new voices.

Coach Glenn Moore thought they needed a guiding light – an older head to instill a sense of professionalism and discipline.

“We talk about sacrifices but it’s [also] a choice,” she said after her return to the fold. “I chose to do what I do and I chose to be police o¬cer which is quite di¬cult, and I chose to play rugby at a high level.

“It takes a lot of my time and my family are very supportive. My friends are really supportive. When one thing slows down, then I’ll have more time for other things.”

And so this has been Fa’aumausili’s role this year – to mentor and inspire and lead by example. Which is exactly what she did in the series against the Wallaroos – scoring yet another hattrick in Sydney.