Montessa Tairakena

Montessa Tairakena
Date of birth (2000-09-12) 12 September 2000 (age 24)
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2021–Present Waikato 9 (15)
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2019–Present  New Zealand 3 (10)

Montessa Tairakena (born 12 September 2000) is a New Zealand rugby sevens player.

Early life and career

Tairakena has also represented New Zealand in athletics and touch rugby.[1] She is of Maori descent and is from the Tainui iwi.[2] She attended Hamilton Girls' High School and captained their 1st XV to a national title in September 2018.[3][4] A month later she was a member of the Youth Olympic Games Sevens team that won gold.[5][6]

Rugby career

In 2019, she made her Black Ferns Sevens international debut at the USA Women's Sevens in Glendale, Colorado.[7][8] She scored one of five unanswered tries in their third place win against France at the tournament.[9]

She was named in the Bolt Women's side for the 2020 Red Bull Ignite7s tournament at Blake Park in Mt Maunganui.[10] She scored the first try in their 21–7 win in the final.[11]

Tairakena competed for the Black Ferns Sevens White team at the Takiwhitu Tutūru tournament in Wellington.[12] She was named in Waikato's XVs squad for the 2021 Farah Palmer Cup season.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Montessa Tairakena". New Zealand Olympic Team. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  2. ^ Tyson, Jessica (5 September 2018). "Māori athletes a third of NZ Youth Olympic team". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Three teenagers named in Black Ferns Sevens squad". RNZ. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  4. ^ "From Youth Olympic Games to Black Ferns Sevens". New Zealand Olympic Team. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Montessa Tairakena the new face in Black Ferns Sevens squad". Stuff. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. ^ "7 Auckland Rugby players named for the Womens Red Bull Ignite7". www.aucklandrugby.co.nz. 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Montessa Tairakena to debut for Black Ferns Sevens". allblacks.com. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  8. ^ "One debutant in Black Ferns Sevens for opening event". allblacks.com. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  9. ^ Smith, Tony (7 October 2019). "Rugby Sevens: Black Ferns clinch bronze medal after comeback". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Teams selected for 2020 Red Bull Ignite7". NZ Rugby. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Bolt teams light up Red Bull Ignite7". allblacks.com. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Takiwhitu Tutūru provides ideal Olympic preparation". allblacks.com. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  13. ^ "2021 Waitomo Group Waikato Farah Palmer Cup Squad Announced". Chiefs. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2024.