Kate Henwood is all smiles ahead of her Black Ferns debut. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Six debutants will make their Black Ferns debut tonight and they all have good stories, though Kate Henwood's may be the most compelling.
The Bay of Plenty prop has gone from being an injury replacement for the Chiefs Manawa to a starting Black Fern in the space of a few months.
She's still coming to terms with the speed of her ascension.
"The team naming was pretty surreal.
"When they read out the names, being the first, number one, I don't think I came back around to hear the rest of the team for a bit. I went a bit deaf and blind at the time."
Initially unwanted for Super Rugby Aupiki, the 34-year-old thought her chances of representing New Zealand may have passed her by.
Allan Bunting. Photo: Photosport
However, she impressed so much for the Manawa with her work rate, fitness and power, that Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting said she couldn't be left out.
"She sacrificed a lot to be with this group and ever since she's been in here she's been determined to learn and grow.
"And there's no pressure. All we want from her is a bit of effort and hopefully she really enjoys the moment."
Henwood's daughter is a big rugby fan, but despite becoming a Black Fern, she said she's still mum to her kids.
"She'll be excited, but she won't let on that she thinks I'm cool yet."
Henwood is the oldest player in the Black Ferns squad and only returned to top level rugby last year for Bay of Plenty following several seasons out of the game.
She believes the creation of Super Rugby Aupiki has allowed more players to showcase their wares, including those like her, who aren't well known outside of their province.
"When I was younger, there probably weren't so many opportunities. Now with all these pathways popping up, like Super Rugby Aupiki, and being able to see everybody, lots more people will get noticed and be able to make that journey."
The Black Ferns World Cup winning lock Chelsea Bremner played with Henwood at the Chiefs Manawa this season and she believes her team-mate's rapid rise could be replicated by plenty of other women, should they be given the chance.
"Seeing her come in, she's never been in a high performance environment really, and just with the coaching and the opportunities she got on the field and seeing how much she improved, that was really exciting."
The Black Ferns are also looking to improve but Bunting said they won't be discarding the expansive game plan that led them to last year's World Cup title.
Bunting leads a whole new coaching group from 2022 and while he hopes they will bring their own "flavour" to the team, he said they won't be messing with a winning formula.
"There's definitely a few things that these ladies held on through the World Cup that I think really ignited the team and the country. So, there's not going to be any massive changes, but we're certainly excited to see the influence of the new coaches and it will be good to test where we're at."
Thursday night's game against the Wallaroos in Brisbane will give them a test of where they're at, with the fixture doubling as an O'Reilly Cup and Pacific Four match.
The Black Ferns need to finish in the top three of the Pacific Four to qualify for the inaugural WXV tournament in New Zealand in October, which pits the top six international teams against one another in what has been described as a mini-World Cup.
-RNZ
