Kaka signs with Black Ferns Sevens after third ACL rupture and becoming a mother

Shiray Kaka has signed a new contract with the Black Ferns Sevens, ending a comeback story that began with a third ACL rupture, a missed Olympics, and the birth of her first child. The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist made the announcement in an emotional video shared online this week, fighting back tears as she confirmed her return to New Zealand’s national sevens programme.

Kaka suffered the knee injury during the 2024 HSBC SVNS Series in Singapore, ruling her out of the Paris Olympics just months before the Games. She watched from the stands at a sold-out Stade de France as New Zealand claimed gold without her — a moment that crystallised how much unfinished business remained.

The injury, her third ACL rupture, prompted serious reflection about whether her playing career was over. “I thought it would be the end for me because that’s my third ACL,” Kaka said in the announcement video. “There was a moment there where I was just like, okay, you know, we’re just going to start a family, give up on rugby and see what’s next for me. And I did that.”

Kaka and her husband Gilles welcomed a son, Korihi Malosi Kaka, and it was motherhood that ultimately reignited her drive to return. “Once I had him in my arms I just thought, actually, I want to show him in the flesh what mum can do,” she said.

She set herself a 12-week target to reach game-ready condition, training alongside her husband and Black Ferns Sevens great Kelly Brazier. A contract was not the stated goal — but one arrived anyway. “I wasn’t looking for a contract but I got one and I’m signed baby,” Kaka said. “I’m signed with the Black Ferns Sevens. We’re back.”

Kaka rejoins a Black Ferns Sevens side that dominated much of the 2026 SVNS season, with Jorja Miller starring as New Zealand won five of six regular-season events and the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. However, Australia denied them the circuit’s top prize, beating New Zealand 26-19 in the SVNS World Championship final in Bordeaux, with Maddison Levi the standout performer in a winner-takes-all decider at Stade Atlantique.

Kaka, who has built a significant social media following — nearly 250,000 on TikTok and more than 110,000 on Instagram — had publicly signalled her intentions roughly 13 months ago, responding to a fan edit with the declaration: “Rugby hasn’t seen the end of me.” That promise has now been made official.