Black Ferns XV

Now, Keira, last year was very special for you.

You were selected with Black Ferns 15 Honours.

How special was it for you making the Black Ferns 15 in 2025?

Yeah, it was really special.

My first kind of taste of that top level, that national side.

Oh, I might just be the best at this as well.

So generally she's been a fullback, uh, during Ōpiki, but the, the hint that she would be the one chosen was, uh, the Black Ferns played the Black Ferns 15 in Upper Hutt just before they left in mid-August.

She was the opposing first five, uh, in the Black Ferns 15.

So they obviously feel, uh, that she's got the skills, and she's, um, touching down.

I think she might have already touched down with the team, uh, to be a part of this weekend.

Do you think the players are, are starting to get the hang of your coaching? And, and are you starting to get used to this group of players?

Yeah, look, I, I think like a lot of this group, um, I've had the privilege of coaching before, you know, whether it's been Barbarians or Black Ferns XV.

There's not too many in this space that I haven't, um, haven't had the privilege of coaching previously.

Um, I think they still think my jokes are ridiculously dry and probably wish I wasn't using so many of them.

You know, I heard Whitney talking about, you know, she loves that catch plays, the whole see it, be it things.

But she, I, what I like about Whitney is, in this space is like a lot of people say see it be it but I've always been a big fan of actually like see it touch it I think the real magic comes when you can reach out and touch where you're wanting to go and we saw that with the Black Ferns XV and Black Ferns coming together at the beginning of this season and so this is now like a nice bookend potentially that we could have the young ones and the current Black Ferns like have that touch moment at the end of the season like that is I love

it

Well planned.

There was, like, a slightly better one.

Can I get my phone to play now? Goodness sake, why isn't it d- working for me? Um, well, okay, I will tell you, when I went along to the, um, when I went along to the camp last Monday, I went and had a little nosy, first thing I noticed, Liz, was when I walked in, I was like, "Oh, who, who are these people?" Because obviously I knew that Charm and Carla and Kelly were all gonna be there, being supportive of the, um, of the Black Ferns XV s- team.

But I was having a look around, I was like, "What's AJ doing here?" Then I walked in a little bit more and I saw Jenna Vaughan there, and I was like, "The heck are you guys doing here?" So having little sidebar chats with them there.

And what that is all a part of is there is a new, uh, coaching program that has been established.

Mm.

Um, I've done lots of talking, Liz.

Tell me about when we, um, had the naming of this Black Ferns and Black Ferns XV squad, what did you think? Was there anyone that you were like, "They were robbed"?

One name.

no, that was a tough match.

We knew that the Black Ferns 15 was going to bring it to us.

And I think for our skills and the Black Ferns, we had to sort of step up and, you know, sort of try and show them, you know, just why we were sort of picked.

Was there extra sting in the tackles?