Alena Saili

BIOGRAPHY

Black Fern #197

Alena Saili was the first woman from Southland, since the first Black Fern Jacqui Apiata, to earn an official test cap when she debuted for the Black Ferns in a 31-11 win against Australia in Sydney in 2018.

Prop Carol Hayes (also from Southland) played for the New Zealand XV against the Californian Grizzlies in 1989, but that was an unofficial international.

Aged 19, Sail described her debut experience to the Southland Times on September 5, 2018.

“I told myself I wouldn't cry but I cried the whole time, just thinking about all the stuff that happened to get me there, especially the sacrifices that my family had to do, I'm really grateful for it…It was so cool, I was just playing with my idols the whole time.”

Sail was somewhat of an idol herself at Southland Girls’ High School. An outstanding all-round athlete, she played five different sports: volleyball, aerobics, basketball, netball and union. It was only when her coaches sat her down and told her she had to focus on fewer sports that rugby became number one.

Her choice of rugby was vindicated in 2016 when she was named Southland Secondary Schools’ Sportswoman of the Year after helping Southland Girls’ High School win the National Top Four First XV Championship for the first time. College Sport Media reported Saili’s feats in the final against St Mary’s College, Wellington:

“Centre Alena Saili was the Player of the Final, scoring a hat-trick of tries and setting up another to openside flanker and captain Kendall Buckingham after making yet another break out wide and crossing the line herself but unselfishly passing to her skipper. That was just about her last act of the match, leaving the field injured with most of the second half remaining, but at 36-7 up the final was in the bag.”

As well as her feats in the 15-a-side game, Saili represented New Zealand at age group touch, and won Commonwealth Games gold with the New Zealand Sevens team on the Gold Coast in 2018.

With her natural speed and strength, sevens has become an ideal fit. She typically plays in the forwards and has been involved in 19 World Rugby tournaments of which 15 have been won.

In July, 2021 she created history when she became just the second individual after Nathan Cohen in rowing to win an Olympic gold medal from Southland. Saili attended the Tokyo Games and was employed mostly from the bench as New Zealand conquered France 26-12 in the final. Prior to the Olympics, New Zealand beat Australia in five matches out of six in Auckland and won the Oceania Sevens in Townsville.

She has played for Bay of Plenty in the Farah Palmer Cup scoring five tries in six outings. Saili’s cousins include former Blues brothers Peter and Francis Saili, the latter also a capped All Black. Her mother Maima Afutu played for the Collegiate Rugby Club.

Nathan Muir was her First XV coach at Southland Girls’ and paid tribute:

“She’s extremely humble and generous with her time, she always remembers where she has come from. Alena rocks up to training and the girls want selfies with her, they look up to her.”

Profile by Adam Julian