Black Ferns legend Fa’amausili inductee to Rugby Hall of Fame
Former Black Ferns captain Fiao’o Fa’amausili will be inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame at a special ceremony during the World Cup next month.
Regarded as the one of the most formidable hookers in the game, Fa’amausili played in five Rugby World Cups, winning four — the last as captain at the 2017 tournament in Ireland.
The 42-year-old is the only New Zealander and the youngest of the six inductees who will bring the total in the Hall of Fame to 160 since it began in 2006.
Fellow inductees Deborah Griffin, Sue Dorrington, Alice Cooper and Mary Forsyth represented England and were the driving force behind the inaugural women’s Rugby World Cup in Wales in 1991.
Griffin became one of the first female representatives on World Rugby’s Council in 2018.
Kathy Flores, who died last October, was a gifted player and coach who helped the United States win the inaugural World Cup in 1991 and later coached her country at two tournaments.
“It will be particularly special this year to honour those who have made an enormous contribution to the growth of the women’s game as pioneers and inspirers,” said World Rugby chairman and Hall of Fame inductee Bill Beaumont.
“From those who challenged the establishment to launch the first women’s Rugby World Cup, to Kathy Flores, a pioneering driving force behind the growth of the women’s game in the USA, and a five-time Rugby World Cup participant, world champion and game legend Fiao’o Fa’amausili — all have made a significant contribution to the history of our sport, and it is with their pioneering spirit that we will accelerate the profile, growth and impact of women in rugby worldwide.”
Fa’amausili was a massive driver of the level of professionalism and dedication that enabled the Black Ferns to dominate for much of her time in the black jersey, which ended in November 2018 when she made a try-scoring farewell in a match against France.
That year, Fa’amausili was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and nominated for the World Rugby Women’s Player of Year award for the second time in three seasons.
Throughout her 16-year test career, Fa’amausili served as a police detective in Counties Manukau, while also playing 106 games for Auckland, helping her province win 15 domestic titles.
Fa’amausili was selected as hooker in the World Rugby Women’s 15s Team of the Decade in December 2020, and a year later, was elected Auckland Rugby president, the first woman to hold the position.