women
international women
Renee Holmes may have just been named 23rd RugbyPass Top 50, although the 26-year-old’s main focus this year won’t be on the 15-a-side game.
Catch exception Super Rugby Aupiki In a campaign which saw the Poua Hurricanes enjoy their best ever season and Holmes further extend his lead as the competition’s all-time top scorer, the 26-year-old has committed her future to the Black Ferns Sevens.
During the Super Rugby Aupiki 2026 campaign, Holmes told Adam Julian she was enjoying some of the best rugby of her career:
“We don’t take anything for granted, but when things go right, this team hums. Honestly, the last two weeks have been some of the happiest rugby of my life.”
In 2026, Holmes helped the Black Ferns XV to fourth Pacific Four Series title. For that, she scored 39 points and even two assists. It was a dominant performance Rugby World Cup Winner 2021
After six years of consistent 15-a-side rugby, change is not a bad thing. The writing was kind of on the wall. In January, Holmes traveled to Fiji play in the Coral Coast 7s as part of a New Zealand Development of women’s weeks.
She is now firmly set on securing a place in LA28. A big HSBC SVNS Series season is just around the corner, with a top four finish at the HSBC SVNS World Championship securing a spot in Southern California.
The long-serving Holmes has not ruled out a return to the XV, but for now her focus is on the SVNS season opener at the end of November in Dubai.
“It’s been great, it’s definitely been humbling, which is great – that’s why I left, to keep growing,” Holmes told stuff.co.nz. “I’m learning every day and it’s just growth that I haven’t had in a while.
“There wasn’t too much competition in the 15s space, so it was very challenging to be in an environment where it’s not normal or natural for me, but in a good way.”
