New Black Ferns King, Sititi, Tuliau-Tua'a debut in style
There's nothing quite like a Test debut and Go Media Stadium Mt Smart served up three unforgettable ones on Saturday afternoon as the Black Ferns put on an attacking clinic against the Wallaroos, running in ten tries to three in a 66-19 win.
The O'Reilly Cup presented by Bupa had been retained back in April, but that took nothing away from the occasion for Elinor-Plum King, Amarante Sititi and Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a, who each pulled on the black jersey for the first time and left their mark on it before full time.
Here's a closer look at the newest members of the Black Ferns whānau.
Elinor-Plum King: Cap #273, Loose Forward
Elinor-Plum King's rise to Saturday’s debut had been building all year. The 22-year-old is a product of Manawatū rugby, a mainstay for the Cyclones in the Farah Palmer Cup and this season made the move to Matatū in Sky Super Rugby Aupiki after two seasons with Hurricanes Poua.
King's ticket to Test rugby was punched the week before the Wallaroos clash, when she scored a hat-trick for the Black Ferns in a 62-19 trial win over the Black Ferns XV in Upper Hutt. It was enough to convince head coach Whitney Hansen to hand her the No.7 jersey for her first cap.
King played the full 80 minutes against Australia and led the Black Ferns for successful tackles with 16, on top of forcing two turnovers, immediately making a case for a long run in the black No. 7. Hansen had flagged exactly this kind of impact in the lead-up, saying King has worked exceptionally hard over the past three years to earn her shot.
WATCH: Check out how the three debutants performed against Australia
Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a: Cap #274, Outside Back
At 19, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a arrived off the Black Ferns bench with genuine X-factor and she didn't wait long to show it. Introduced early in the second half, the Chiefs Manawa and Waikato winger charged down a Wallaroos kick inside her own in-goal, gathered the loose ball and sprinted the length of the field to score, a moment that pushed the Black Ferns out to a commanding 59-7 lead.
A product of Sacred Heart Girls' College and Hamilton Girls' High School, Tuliau-Tua'a came through the New Zealand Under-18 Sevens programme before making her mark in Sky Super Rugby Aupiki and the Farah Palmer Cup. Playing her first Test in front of her own family and friends in Auckland, rather than overseas, made the milestone feel even more special to her.
Amarante Sititi: Cap #275, Lock
Rugby runs deep in Amarante Sititi's family and on Saturday the 19-year-old added her own chapter to it. The daughter of former Manu Samoa captain Semo Sititi and younger sister of All Black Wallace Sititi, she was born in Osaka, Japan, while her father was playing and coaching there.
Sititi's rise has been rapid. Head Girl at Auckland Girls' Grammar School in 2025, she was named Auckland's Emerging Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year off the back of a standout Farah Palmer Cup campaign with Auckland Storm, before stepping up to the Blues for this year's Sky Super Rugby Aupiki. She's studying towards a Bachelor of Sport and Human Performance at the University of Waikato, with her sights set on a career as a physio once she hangs up the boots.
Introduced off the bench, Sititi capped a whirlwind first Test appearance by crashing over for the final try of the match. Speaking afterwards, she said it was really special and a big moment for her family, admitting she hadn't expected to be selected quite this soon. It's fitting that she models her own game on All Blacks captain Ardie Savea, having said she looked up to him when she was little.
A growing legacy
Black Ferns Captain Ruahei Demant was quick to point out what King, Sititi and Tuliau-Tua'a mean beyond Saturday's scoreline. She noted the pair of young Pasifika players are becoming role models in their own right, following the lead of senior stars like Liana Mikaele-Tu'u and Maiakawanakaulani Roos, and showing the next generation of girls coming through exactly what's possible in the black jersey.
For King, Sititi and Tuliau-Tua'a, the timing couldn't be better. The Black Ferns now turn their attention offshore, beginning with a clash against the Springboks Women in Johannesburg on 5 September, before matches in France, Scotland and against world champions England round out a long end-of-year tour. Three new Black Ferns, one unforgettable afternoon at Go Media Stadium and, on this form, plenty more caps still to come.
