Tireless and destructive loose forward Kaipo Olsen-Baker joined fellow Black Ferns Monique Hirovanaa, Dame Farah Palmer, Carla Hohepa, Kendra Cocksedge, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Ruahei Demant as the World Rugby Under-15 Player of the Year winner.
Olsen-Baker was a force of nature in 2026. During Super Rugby Aupiki, she scored a try in every match and was the only player to make more than 100 carries. She was also first in tackles with 136, 18 ahead of teammate Elinor-Plum King, who won the Rugby World Cup Under-15s Player of the Year.
Olsen-Baker’s barnstorming form continued during the international season, when she featured in seven of the Black Ferns’ 11 Tests. Her outstanding performance came in a 36-14 win over Canada in Kansas City, when she scored two tries. A 70-metre effort almost finished off a dominant second half, which is New Zealand won 31-0.
Olsen-Baker joins illustrious company as the Black Fern to win Women’s Rugby Player of the Year in 15 years.
2002: Monique Hirovanaa
Half-back Monique Hirovanaa, now a detector dog handler at the Ministry for Primary Industries at Auckland Airport, led the Black Ferns to the Women’s Rugby World Cup glory in Barcelona 2002.
Black Ferns, who lost to England in Auckland in 2001, successfully defended in 1998 Women’s Rugby World Cup the title without the attempt being conceded. Hirovanaa was at her best in a tense final against England at the Olympic Stadium. Rugby News reports:
“Hirovanaa pulled all the strings in a star performance, scoring one great try when she ran 25 meters down the touchline from the ruck, then setting up another for Cheryl Waaka after breaking 20 meters from the line. Hirovanaa also kept England in defense with smart, well-placed direct kicks forward, and she had several direct kicks forward in length.”
The Black Ferns won 19-9.
Hirovanaa began her rugby career as a full-back in 1991 before switching to half-back in 1995, an inspired decision. Between 1996 and 2002 she partnered World Rugby Hall of Fame first five-eighth Anne Richards in 22 Tests, recording 21 wins at an average of 57-5. On nine occasions, the Black Ferns kept their opponents scoreless.
“I was an explosive player, a bit of an all-around player. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I could shoot, pass and run. I think my time as a guard helped me develop a high level of skill,” Hirovana said in 2025.
2005: Ladies Farah Palmer
Despite missing her first match for the Black Ferns since 1996 through injury, spinner Farah Palmer remained a dominant force in the unbeaten 2005 team.
At the Canada Cup in Ottawa, the Black Ferns won Scotland 30-9 and host Canada 43-3 and 32-5, extending a seven-year 24-Test unbeaten run.
A World Rugby Hall of Famer, Palmer captained the Black Ferns to 29 wins in 30 Tests, including triumphs at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
2010: Carl Hohep
Waikato wing Carla Hohep was dynamite during the Black Ferns’ 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph in England.
She scored New Zealand’s only try in the final, helping the Black Ferns beat England 13-10 in front of a hostile crowd at the Twickenham Stoop in London.
In the Black Ferns’ opening match against South Africa, Hohepa scored a hat-trick and then scored twice in the semi-final against France.
“The final of the World Cup was an interesting game. We received three yellow cards, but we didn’t really notice because the crowd was very loud, and everything was going so fast,” Hohepa thinks.
“When I got the ball I knew we needed points so I just ran. We were lucky to have so many experienced players; they calmed the rest of us down and gave us good ball when we needed it.”
Hohepa scored 21 tries in 24 appearances for the Black Ferns and was a pioneering member of the Black Ferns Sevens programme. From 2012 to 2015, she helped New Zealand win their first three World Sevens Series titles, appearing in 10 tournaments and scoring 37 tries.
Her sister, Chyna Hohepa, was Waikato’s long-serving captain, three times The Farah Palmer Cup champions. Chyna is married to former Japan international Karne Hesketh, who scored the winning try in the ‘Brighton Miracle’ – Japan’s 34-31 win over the Springboks at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
2015: Kendra Cocksedge
For more than a decade, Kendra Cocksedge, who ended her career as the Black Ferns’ most capped player with 68 Tests, deputized for Emma Jensen, the 49-Test veteran and three-time Rugby World Cup winner. Cocksedge started just 12 of their first 26 Tests between 2007 and 2014.
In 2015, Cocksedge finally got the chance to secure a permanent starting position and took it.
With 11 debutants, the Black Ferns won the Super Series in Canada, beating the hosts 40-22, England 26-7 and USA 47-14. It was a remarkable turnaround a year after New Zealand recorded their worst ever Women’s Rugby World Cup finish.
“That year was a reboot. My goal was to be the best half-back in the world and after spending almost a decade behind Emma, I did everything I could to achieve that. Everything about that year, the culture and the game, was special,” recalled Cocksedge.
2017: Portia Woodman-Wickliffe
In an illustrious career that saw her score a Black Ferns record 50 tries in 34 Tests and win two Olympic sevens gold medals, wing Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has often been described as the Jonah Lomu of women’s rugby.
The closest she came to that comparison was during the Black Ferns’ 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph in Ireland. In the first match of the tournament, she scored a record eight tries in a ruthless 121-0 win over Hong Kong.
However, she emulated Loma in the semi-final by scoring four tries in the Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Against the USA, Woodman-Wickliffe passed for four times in a 45-12 victory. Her first try, scored after 25 minutes with the Black Ferns leading just 8-7, won the World Rugby Try of the Year award. In the 45-meter dash, she held off a third of the American team with a stunning display of strength and speed.
2022: Ruahei Denial
Ruahei Demant was a surprise choice to captain the Black Ferns in 2022. Unquestionably talented and a former head of high school, her career has been hampered by injuries.
But, after a disastrous tour of the North in 2021, in which New Zealand lost all four Tests against France and England, new manager Sir Wayne Smith wanted a fresh start. He explained his decision to appoint Demant as captain:
“Three-quarters of the way through practice, I heard her say, ‘What are you afraid of, girls? Where do you have the courage to go?’ It was in line with the fearless, expansive philosophy of the game I was trying to install and is compatible with the DNA of the Black Ferns.”
The decision turned out to be a masterstroke. Given the freedom to attack and lead in his fearless yet inclusive style, Denmant, a brilliant running and cutting first or second five-eighth, has featured in 11 of the Black Ferns’ 12 wins.
She is now the Black Ferns’ most successful captain, with 34 wins in 42 Tests.
