Pia Tapsell becomes first woman to represent both the Black Ferns and Wallaroos

Pia Tapsell etched her name into rugby history on August 22 at North Harbour Stadium in Albany, becoming the first woman to play a Test match for both the Black Ferns and the Wallaroos when she came off the bench for Australia in the final half-hour of a 66-19 defeat to New Zealand.

The milestone was not without its emotional complexity. Tapsell, who started all six Tests for New Zealand during a successful 2019 campaign that included a Super Series title, had been forced to watch the Black Ferns’ euphoric 2022 World Cup triumph from the sidelines after missing selection. A serious ACL injury then wiped out her entire 2023 season.

“I was doing the words to the haka in my head. I guess that’s a sign of respect. It was a very weird feeling facing it,” the 28-year-old told RugbyPass. She admitted to some anxiety about how her switch would be received back home, but said the response was largely warm. “I got lots 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.”

Tapsell was candid about why she made the move across the Tasman. “I felt my career had regressed in New Zealand and wanted a new challenge,” she said. Time at the Western Force in Perth helped reinvigorate her, with new coaches, structures and surroundings proving beneficial after a difficult few years.

On the match itself, Tapsell acknowledged the gulf in class but pointed to mitigating circumstances. Australia are in a transitional phase under interim coaches, assembled only a week before the Test with a large number of new players and a new defensive system to implement. “The game itself didn’t go as planned. The Black Ferns were very clinical and have some freakish young talent coming through,” she said, singling out debutant Braxton Sorensen-McGee as particularly impressive.

Tapsell’s achievement places her alongside a small group of men who have represented both the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Test rugby — a list that includes Ted Jessep, Des Connor, Owen Stephens, Alex Hodgman and Aidan Ross. Despite being born in Melbourne, her path to the Wallaroos was far from straightforward: she was schooled in Auckland, played club rugby for East Coast Bays, and built her early career entirely within the New Zealand system before injury and ambition prompted a change of direction.

With permanent coaches set to replace the interim staff in the new year, Tapsell will be hoping for greater continuity as Australia look to close the gap on the world’s top sides.