The Black Ferns’ euphoric 2022 season was a nightmare for Pia Tapsell.
Abrasive loose forward who started all six Tests in a successful 2019 as the Black Ferns won England 28-13 in San Diego en route to Super Series title, missed out on Women’s Rugby World Cup. A serious anterior cruciate injury ruled her out for the whole of 2023.
A slow recovery and a desire for a new challenge led her to move to Australia. On 22 August at Albany’s North Harbor Stadium, she became the first woman to play a Test match for the Black Ferns and Wallaroos when she came off the bench for Australia in the final half hour of their 66-19 loss.
“I was saying the words haki in my head. I guess it’s a sign of respect. It was a very strange feeling to face it,” said Tapsell RugbyPass.
“I got a lot of messages from New Zealand congratulating me. The Black Ferns girls were cool about it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about the reception. I played with several Black Ferns, such as Ayesha Leti-I’iga, Georgia Ponsonby, Pip Love, Maia Roos, Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Ruahei Demant.
“The game itself didn’t go as planned. The Black Ferns were very clinical and they have some amazing young talent in the game. It was the first time I played against Braxton Sorensen-McGee; she’s amazing.”
“We are in a transition phase with interim coaches who will be replaced in the new year. We came together only a week ago and we have a lot of new players, a new game plan and a defensive system to implement.”
“We aimed to score small goals; some happened, some didn’t. We wanted to be higher on the wings and shut down their plays before they happened. We couldn’t because of the speed of their handball. In attack we found form at times and enjoyed success.”
The 28-year-old added: “Why Australia? I felt that my career had regressed in New Zealand and I wanted a new challenge. I enjoyed my rugby at the Western Force in Perth. It was a bit different, a lot more structured, but the new coaches, people, environment and ideas were great for me. It helped that the Force took a lot of the stress of being privately owned to a new place.”
Seven people played for both All black people and Wallabies: Ted Jessep, Des Connor, Owen Stephens, Alex Hodgman and Aidan Ross played Tests for both countries. Two other Wallabies – Bill Hardcastle and Eddie Stapleton – also have All Black numbers from the tournament but were not capped.
Although born in Melbourne, Tapsell seemed an unlikely candidate to break the mould.
She attended Takapuna Grammar School but played for Glenfield College and Hato Petera College as Takapuna did not have a team. She was part of the championship team at Glenfield College, while Hato Petera, coached by her father Mark, made two finals.
At the same time she played senior rugby for East Coast Bays, who after winning the development competition joined the highly competitive Coleman Shield in Auckland.
North Harbor had a provincial national championship team in 2005, before it ceased to exist until 2016. Tapsell played 25 games for the revived Hibiscus and scored a record nine tries by the time she left for Bay of Plenty in 2020.
Highlights include reaching the semi-finals of the Championship in 2017 and 2018 and winning their first Black Ferns trial last season. An ankle injury kept her out of the team, but she canceled her 21st birthday celebration until 2019 to fly to San Diego for the Super Series.
With little expectation of playing time, Tapsell made an outstanding start in every match in the tournament which New Zealand won. She described her debut in a 35-20 win against Canada as “overcome” and scored a try in the 45th minute against USA to help break their resistance.
In the Women’s 2017 replay Rugby World Cup Final against England, Tapsell was fearless.
“There’s always an edge when it’s England against New Zealand, and I could feel it during the haka,” Tapsell said. “It was a different atmosphere than usual, especially when they started laughing.
“I didn’t know much about English players, and I think that was good because it allowed me to play without fear of reputation.”
The biggest official crowd at Perth Stadium was for the Bledisloe Cup between the All Blacks and Australia in 2019, when over 61,000 watched the Wallabies win 47-26.
The Black Ferns played the curtain-raiser and Tapsell had the blinder as the Wallaroos were crushed 47-10. The Guardian reported: “The impact on any Black Ferns team in full flight, given enough possession and space, is draining.”
A torn lip, along with the Covid-19 pandemic, threatened to derail Tapsell in 2020. She fought 11 games in three seasons for Bay of Plenty and won all four matches and the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki title with Chiefs Manawa in 2022.
However, when she suffered an ACL injury, it was time for a reset.
In addition to joining the Force, she played in the NRLW for the Cronulla Sharks and St. George Illawarra Dragons.
“I never won a game at the Sharks. It was intense and a different environment. The game is very different: run straight, six kick, then kick. I enjoyed the other aspects of rugby much more, like the line, the scrum and the breakdown. I didn’t have enough stimulation in the league,” Tapsell laughed.
“I was proud to make my debut for the Dragons. I played five games and we won three. I learned a lot about professionalism while rediscovering my love for rugby.”
“With age and experience, I don’t put myself under as much pressure about stats and mistakes anymore. I’m more confident in my timing and better understanding of my strengths: physical carry, getting off the ground quickly and contesting breakdowns.”
The Wallaroos face the ultimate challenge at the start of their WXV Global Series campaign. On 12 September they took on world champions England at the CorpAcq Stadium in Salford.
The Red Roses have won 68 of their last 69 international games, including a 38-game winning streak, but can the Wallaroos upset that?
“I love the way England play, the old-school physicality in scrums and set-ups. It’s a big challenge. We’ve identified some things we really want to improve on. If we can keep building, we’ll gain more confidence,” concluded Tapsell.
