Kaipo Olsen-Baker is the World Rugby Player of the Year 15 for 2026. She was also named ninth in RugbyPass‘ List of Top 50 Women’s Rugby Players of 2026
Barnstorming Black Ferns fended off England’s challenge from Zoe Harrison, Megan Jones, along with Canada prop DaLeak I left.
She is the seventh Black Fern after Monique Hirovane, Dame Farah Palmer, Carla Hohepa, Kendra Cocksedge, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Ruahei Demant to win the top gong.
For those in Gisborne who saw her play football, rugby and basketball alongside future Black Ferns Renee Holmes and Kelsey Teneti, the accolade comes as no surprise. Gisborne Herald reporter and local sports identity Ben O’Brien-Leaf fondly remembers the young Olsen-Baker.
“The thing about Gisborne is everything our sport can turn into a street fight. Few were taller than Kaipo. She was fast, strong, uncompromising and humble. The best always leave. We never leave them.”
She grew up in Rangitukia, two hours from Gisborne, where in 1924 All black people Invincibles full back George Nepia was from. Her upbringing was not without adversity. When she was one year old, her father Jason passed away. Her mother Gabrielle later lost another partner and is partially paralyzed on the left side of her body.
Sport was a release, but it took some growing up. When she tried for a New Zealand age group of the basketball team at the age of 15 and did not get selected, she impulsively quit her job. A big fish in a small pond “is not used to disappointment.”
Manukura is an elite Maori sports school in Palmerston North. They are currently the five-time reigning New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby Champions. When a friend went to try out for rugby, Kaipo went too, and the friend missed out.
The Olsen-Baker family could not afford the fees. They found a way to do it. Olsen-Baker described the manicure as the best thing that ever happened to her. Her mentors were Black Ferns Kristina Sue and Rhiana Ferris (Black Ferns Sevens). When she won the World Under-15s Rugby Player of the Year award, she was quick to thank her mum.
“Honestly, I’m at a loss for words,” she told reporters after the 36-7 win over New Zealand. France in Christchurch. “I feel shocked, proud, emotional; I think I feel all the emotions right now. But the first thing that comes to my mind is my beautiful mom. She sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am today. I wouldn’t be the person, the player I am if it wasn’t for her and the sacrifices she made for me.”
“I just want to show all the young girls that you can dream big and no matter how big your dream is, keep at it because one day it can come true.”
But few possess the combination of work ethic and power that Olsen-Baker boasts. Her excellence in 2026 helped the Black Ferns to 10 wins in 11 Test matches, their best season since winning Rugby World Cup 2022 and the second most wins in a calendar year since 1989. Olsen-Baker took part in seven Tests.
It all started on April 11 with a 48-15 win against USA in Sacramento where she had 11 carries for 45 yards, 10 tackles and a fumble.
The Black Ferns have secured Pacific Four Series title with a 36-14 victory over Canada in Kansas City the following weekend. Olsen-Baker wreaked havoc with two tackles, 24 carries for 126 yards, 13 interceptions and four turnovers. It was revenge for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final loss in Bristol, a game in which Olsen-Baker had an incredible 34 career goals.
During Super Rugby Aupiki for second-placed Matata, she scored a try in every round-robin game and was the only player to make more than 100 carries. She is also ranked as the best tackler at 136.
Laurie O’Reilly Cup One-off Test Vs Australia in Auckland on August 22 it was the Wallaroos 100th Test but they were hammered 66-19. Olsen-Baker stormed through 16 draws, two line breaks and 15 rallies.
Moreover, Elinor-Plum King made her debut for the Black Ferns in the open side. Olsen-Baker and King are close.
“I feel so grateful to be able to run with Plum. We actually started in Manukura. I was 13 when she was 11. Seeing her growth in the game and as a person is so exciting,” said Olsen-Baker.
“Coming out of Super Rugby I was actually saying to all the girls I’d rather play with you than against you because you could see the physicality out there,”
The Black Ferns’ heavier edge was almost enough to topple the world champions England at Twickenham in September. Olsen-Baker with 24 carries and ten tackles in a gutsy 26-19 loss.
October’s weak French tourists did not have the ammunition to stop Olsen-Baker. She scored a try in the 81-12 first test in Hamilton before leaving the field early in the 31-12 second test success in Whangarei with a leg injury.
Unfortunately, injuries have been a common theme in Olsen-Baker’s career. Fast forward to 2019 and she became a Black Fern after just three seasons of first-class rugby for Manawatu in the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) and Hurricanes Pou in the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki season in 2022. All this despite an ACL injury in 2021.
On her Test debut against Australia in Tauranga on 6 June 2022, she showed her considerable potential by scoring a try when the score was 10–10. She flew 20 meters from the back of the scrum, shedding several defenders in an electrifying run in the pouring rain.
“To this day I still think about that try and go. Wow. I’ve never played in weather like that before. I was wet and my clothes made me feel heavier than I was,” laughed Olsen-Baker.
She followed up her debut with a strong performance the following week in a 28-0 rout of Canada. Olsen-Baker had every reason to be confident of selection for the Rugby World Cup but succumbed to a nasty foot injury before the tournament.
She made an impressive comeback for Manawatu 2023. En route to the FPC Championship final, the Cyclones beat every team before narrowly losing to Northland in the decider. She was nominated for FPC Player of the Year and topped the FPC charts for most carries (113), most defenders beaten (69) and most offloads (26).
In 2024 she moved to Matata at Super Rugby Aupika and ranked in the top ten for carries (59), meters gained (286) and offloads (9). She regained her New Zealand jersey and was later named the Black Ferns’ player of the year after a string of incredible performances in an often difficult season.
The best compliments come from the opposition, and in a heavy 49-31 defeat by England in Vancouver at that year’s WXV 1, where the Black Ferns conceded the most tries they have ever conceded in a Test with nine, Olsen-Baker didn’t back down. She made 10 tackles, 17 carries, while The Guardian wax lyrical.
“Despite the result on Sunday, New Zealand demonstrated the danger they pose, particularly through No. 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who had a sensational game… New Zealand started fiercely and repeatedly hit the English defensive wall. The pressure led to the Red Roses coughing up a penalty and the Black Ferns opting for a scroll and Olsen opting for a scroll-pear. Hunt – a fight reminiscent of Jonah Lomu running over Mike Catt at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
When Olsen-Baker was sidelined with a suspected broken ankle Spain in York on August 24, 2025, it seemed to her like the first Women’s Rugby World Cup the campaign was over. Far from it.
Bulldozer No.8 was named man of the match in the 46-17 quarterfinal win against South Africa at Exeter, scoring two tries and seven carries for a total gain of 57 metres. Even more impressive was her incredible haul of 26.
Her fearless approach came through in the on-court interview after the match. Asked how the Black Ferns intended to tame South Africa at half-time, she confidently replied: “Just AFD, which means all day.”
The hearty Olsen-Baker couldn’t keep Canada from winning in the semifinals, but in a 42-26 third-place playoff win against France, she had 15 disposals and 13 tackles in a typically damaging display.
“I don’t think too much when I play. I look at what’s in front of me and react instinctively,” Olsen-Baker said. “I wouldn’t score tries or enjoy individual success without the support of my teammates. They allow me to play with confidence.”