Michaela Brake

Black Ferns rugby union superstar Michaela Brake was secured in a major code-swap coup just before Christmas.

The 29-year-old Taranaki-raised speedster has joined the Warriors on a one-year deal bringing with her an exceptional list of team and individual success on the world stage.

Among her achievements she was the back-to-back World Rugby Sevens women’s player of the year in 2017 and 2018, was in the gold medal-winning Blacks Ferns squad at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games and won Commonwealth Games gold in 2018.

Brake (formerly Blyde) was also in the Rugby World Cup Sevens winning team in 2018 and has helped the Black Ferns to six World Sevens series triumphs since 2013.

She has scored more 250 tries in more than 230 sevens appearances on the world stage.

First drafted into the New Zealand Sevens team as a 17-year-old in 2013, Blyde followed her mother Cherry who played for the Black Ferns in 1992.

Of Brake's signing, head coach Ron Griffiths said: “Michaela is an elite athlete who has succeeded through a steely focus and an unwavering determination. She’s a wonderful acquisition for our programme,

“Her career has been underpinned by hard work while her attitude and blistering speed will hold her in good stead to transition successfully into the NRLW.

“It was evident from when we first connected that Michaela was excited by this opportunity. We are equally as excited about her signing.”

Brake reacted to her signing by saying: “A lot of excitement has been going through my mind,

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for the last few months. To sign with the Warriors was a little bit of a surprise for me to be honest but nonetheless I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity the One New Zealand Warriors are offering me.

“I’m excited to be a part of something that’s growing super, super quickly and you’d be silly not to want to be involved in it.

“The Warriors are a team I grew up watching on TV. My family are rugby but when we knew the Warriors were playing on TV we’d change the channel to watch them and support them.”