11 Auckland Rugby players have been chosen to attend a Black Ferns High Performance camp.

The 11 players along with Auckland Storm Assistant Coach Anna Richards will attend the camp aimed at getting our young players together and accelerating their development by exposing them to top-level position-specific coaching.

Sylvia Brunt, Princess Elliot, Sophie Fisher, Tafito Lafaele, Abby Lockhart, Cilia-Marie Po'e, Daynah Nankivell, Vineta Teutau, Luisa Togotogorua, Maama Vaipulu and Chryss Viliko have been selected to attend the programme with The long-term goal for New Zealand to be able to field an Under 20 women’s team for international fixtures.

Congratulations to all our players involved. It is great to see such a strong representation from our community.

See the full release from New Zealand Rugby below:

The best of New Zealand’s emerging women players have been identified and selected for a High Performance Development camp.

The programme will see 42 of the most talented young players come together for a position specific workshop with leading coaches from across the country.

Black Ferns Assistant Coach Wesley Clarke said this camp will bridge the gap in a player’s development that has been identified.

“The Farah Palmer Cup provides a great playing opportunity for our players, but those programmes are not specifically development focused.

“The aim is to get these players together for a national camp and accelerate their development by exposing them to top level position specific coaching,” said Clarke.

The long-term goal of the programme is for New Zealand to be able to field an Under 20 women’s team for international fixtures.

Players have been selected from school, club and Farah Palmer Cup rugby and represent 11 Provincial Unions.

Clarke said the strength of talent across the country is impressive.

“Women’s rugby is a massive growth area and we are seeing incredible talent coming through right across the country. It will be exciting to get them all together in one place to work together for a week,” said Clarke.

Rodney Gibbs, who coached the New Zealand Barbarians for their series against the Black Ferns in 2020 heads the coaching group for the week and is joined by a number of former Black Ferns including Victoria Grant, Melissa Ruscoe, Anna Richards and Kristina Sue as position specific coaches.

The camp was scheduled to be held in Hamilton this month but has been postponed due to Covid19 restrictions. It will take place early next year.

The selected players are;

Player   Province

Mia Anderson    Waikato

Precious Auimatagi         Wellington

K'lee Begbie       Waikato

Sylvia Brunt        Auckland

Grace Carroll     Otago

Tuia Edwards     Hawke's Bay

Princess Elliot    Auckland

Iukika Fa'avae    Hawke's Bay

Maddie Feaunati             Otago

Sophie Fisher     Auckland

Tenaija Fletcher North Harbour

Jessica Harvie    Tasman

Harmony Ioane Wellington

Eleri James-Sitters           Tasman

Lucy Jenkins       Canterbury

Maia Joseph       Otago

Harmony Kautai               Hawke's Bay

Hannah King       Canterbury

Tafito Lafaele     Auckland

Abby Lockhart   Auckland

Cilia-Marie Po'e Auckland

Paris Mataroa    Counties Manukau

Te Urupounamu McGarvey         Bay of Plenty

Leah Miles          Otago

Jorja Miller         Canterbury

Paige Misky        Wellington

Lily Murray-Wihongi       Northland

Daynah Nankivell            Auckland

Ashley Palu         Hawke's Bay

Amelia Pasikala Hawke's Bay

Hollyrae Mete Renata    Manawatu

Rangimarie Sturmey       Manawatu

Ngano Tavake    Manawatu

Brooklyn Teki-Joyce        Bay of Plenty

Kelsey Teneti     Waikato

Vineta Teutau    Auckland

Ocean Tierney   Counties Manukau

Luisa Togotogorua          Auckland

Maama Vaipulu Auckland

Leititia Vaka       Counties Manukau

Chryss Viliko      Auckland

Kaia Walker-Waitoa Hayes               Manawatu