If you are a quarterback for New Zealand and comparisons to Christian Cullen, then there may be no greater compliment.
Braxton Sorensen-McGee’s deflection through the French defense in Whangarei was another excellent score to add to her collection. Special players do special things.
Teenage sensation at last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup she turned 20 this week, so you could say that the field that opened up for her to try was an early gift.
“I think every quarterback is kind of waiting for that moment to happen, for those holes to open up, so I was very grateful that it happened when I had the ball,” Sorensen-McGee says humbly.
The Black Ferns are gearing up for their third straight match against the underdogs France side in Christchurch, and Sorensen-McGee admitted France had been undone by the absence of a number of key players, including Pauline Bourdon Sansus and Madoussou Fall Raclot, even before picking up a slew of injuries.
“I think France are a very good team, it’s just a shame they have a lot of players injured at the moment. Their strengths are definitely their offload, their strength, their physicality and just their ability to stay on top when the team lets them.”
This run of six matches over the past two months has been beneficial, Sorensen-McGee believes, with the Black Ferns’ only defeat coming in dramatic fashion against England at the Allianz Stadium.
Even if Zoe Harrison’s late interception was underwhelming at this point, there is much to be said for New Zealand’s ambition chasing the game from deep in their own half, their star fullback believes.
“It was definitely tough, obviously, to lose to England, but we feel we played really well. We felt it could have gone either way. Whether we got that pass, we felt we would have conceded a goal on the other end, so it’s very brave just to be able to take those risks. We just learned from that game and just improved from them.”
After England’s dominant run over the previous four years, the way New Zealand edged the Red Roses close together with a draw against Canada and now two wins against the world champions meant the gap at the top of the women’s game has closed.
“I definitely think every team has gotten a lot stronger than maybe last year,” Sorensen-McGee admits. “I think the game has grown a lot, and just seeing where women’s rugby is right now is just a good feeling, knowing that every team is getting stronger, it’s just not going to be the same game. You can’t really go into any game (lightly) taking a team.”
Sorensen-McGee may have only just turned 20 and admits she still feels like she’s “growing in this team”, having spent part of the season on the road playing seven before the win Super Rugby Aupiki with the Blues. Yet on the outside she feels like a key cog for this Black Ferns side with an eye on building the next Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Her breakthrough at the 2025 tournament was sensational, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer by a mile with 11 tries and top point scorer. The Women’s Rugby World Cup exceeded her expectations, for several reasons.
“It definitely wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be strict and serious, but just the way the girls took us newbies around was really good and just took us under their wings.”
One key difference between this year and 2025 is that Sorensen-McGee took over as the kicker for the Black Ferns, entering the WXV final round as the top scorer with 42 points.
During her season at Aupiki, she worked on her shooting technique with her Blues head coach, Willie Walker, who imparted some valuable advice as Sorensen-McGee crucially changed the direction of her shots.
“I would hit him and try to look at the ball to see if it went through. So he taught me to keep my head down and try to hit through the ball. I was hitting almost every time after practice, just putting in those reps so I could stay consistent.”
While Sorensen-McGee cites Black Ferns and Blues team-mate Ruahei Demant as someone he looks up to – “She’s an amazing person and the way she just cares about them and wants to help those around her, I think she’s one of my favorite players too.” – love for sports started with brother Dredin.
A rugby league player who now lives in France with Albi, Dredin would take Sorensen-McGee to the training ground once a week to work on his technique.
“He helped me perfect the things that I wasn’t doing so well in some ways. ??Yes, my inspiration would be my brother,” she explains. “He was the reason I started playing rugby, he’s such a good player.”
For the Black Ferns, life under head coach Whitney Hansen is off to a good start, with England overcoming their only defeat so far as they set themselves up for next year’s breakthrough series with the British and Irish Lions.
“She’s an amazing coach and just an amazing person, the way she takes care of everyone on the team, not just the players, but the management, and the way she brings everyone together. I just think she’s a very amazing coach and just an amazing person,” explains Sorensen-McGee.
“She’s very clear in her wording and the messages she sends us about what the week looks like. She’s very honest and just very open to any conversation, whether it’s difficult or not. I think that’s a great quality for a coach.”
With Hansen and a core of Sorensen-McGee, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Demant and many others to lead them forward, New Zealand will head into 2027 on a high.
And in Sorensen-McGee with her speed, footwork and off-the-play ability, they have a true box office superstar they can build around even at such a young age.
