Ruahei Demant is widely known as one of the best women’s rugby players in the world. As current co-captain of the Black Ferns, Demant was recognised as World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2022.
Born on 21 April 1995, Demant attended the University of Auckland, where she graduated with a degree in law and sociology. She worked as a Deputy Registrar with the Ministry of Justice and continues to use her law background by volunteering at the Community Law Centre in Otara.
Demant made her professional rugby debut after being signed by Auckland in 2013. However, she endured relentless knee problems between 2013 and 2015 and had to undergo three knee reconstructions during this period. Fortunately, she made a full recovery and has dominated with Auckland ever since.
Versatile, powerful and skillful, she has worn the number 10, 12 and 13 jerseys. However, she predominantly plays as fly-half. She most notably played in this position at the 2021 Rugby World Cup, where she scored points for the Black Ferns during the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
In addition to this, Demant’s career highlights include being selected for the Barbarians in 2019 and representing the Blues during the very first women’s Super Rugby match, which took place in 2021.
After joining the Black Ferns in 2018, Demant made the squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup and secured some of her greatest achievements to date. New Zealand won the tournament and Demant was named Player of the Match after the Black Ferns beat England in the final.
With a global audience waiting to see what she does next, we’re excited to find out just how far Ruahei Demant can go.
On Saturday at the Go Media Stadium Mount Smart in Auckland, the Black Ferns must beat England while picking up more or the same number of bonus points to capture the inaugural WXV 1 title. It’s the first meeting between the countries since the Rugby World Cup final almost a year ago.
Black Ferns co-captain and World Cup winner, Ruahei Demant has collected three major prizes at the 2022 ASB Rugby Awards, including the supreme Kelvin R. Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.
New Zealand Women's 