Seiuli Fiao'o Fa'amausili - First Pasifika Woman to be inducted into World Rugby Hall of Fame

During the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup semi finals weekend, Black Ferns and New Zealand rugby star Seiuli Fiao'o Fa'amausili will be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame alongside five other legends of the game.

She is the youngest of the six women being inducted this year and will make history as the first woman of Pacific heritage to be inducted.

The World Rugby Hall of Fame recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers while also demonstrating rugby’s character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.

Fa'amausili will attend the private capping ceremony with the four pioneers who were the driving force behind the inaugural women's Rugby World Cup in Wales in 1991 - Deborah Griffin, Sue Dorrington, Alice Cooper & Mary Forsyth (all from England) while Kathy Flores from the USA will be inducted posthumously.

They will then be presented to the Eden Park crowd between the two semi-finals games.

Fa'amausili played in five Rugby World Cups for New Zealand, winning four of them - the last as captain at the 2017 edition in Ireland.  

The former hooker was the most capped Black Ferns player (57 caps) until her record was passed recently by former team mate Kendra Cocksedge only this year.

Ahead of the Hall of Fame ceremony, we asked her a few questions about her legendary career.

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Looking back over your career what would you say was your most memorable game and why? 

"Most memorable game would probably be my first game I started in a World Cup final and that would be the 2010 Rugby World Cup in England.  

That game is really set in stone because it was my first World Cup final, a win on England and England had gone professional that year and so we really dug deep to perform and we were really stoked with that game and win". 

Who would you say has been your toughest opponent? 

"I would have to say my good friend Linda Itunu because when we play each other in club and even in trainings in the Black Ferns we were always looking for each other to put a hit on (laughs) and that's probably why we got better.  

You don't fear each other you just want to go out there and smash each other and even though you do that on the field, we're good mates off it".

After being in the Black Ferns team together since 2003, Fiao'o Faamausili and Linda Itunu share a few stories about each other.  They both retired together after the France test in 2018.

You came to New Zealand as a 5yr old little girl from the village of Aleisā in Samoa.  What would you say to your 5 year old self now? 

"Shuuucks!  Yeah, I'd tell her that I actually made it to the world stage and the Hall of Fame in rugby.  

I loved sports when I was little but I never really chose rugby until later on in life but you know, who would have thought?  and it's full credit to my family especially my brothers and my Dad.

Growing up and playing a male dominant sport, you hear a lot of people saying women shouldn't be playing rugby, rugbys not made for girls - you hear that but then when your own village and your own family that are close to you is nothing but supportive and you never hear from them that you shouldn't be playing - that's what matters. 

It's those moments that kept me going and kept the drive alive for me to stay in this game and prove people wrong." 

You're the first woman of Pacific heritage to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame - what does that mean to you as a Pasifika woman and what has the Pacific Island community support meant to you over the years? 

"The support from the Pacific is massive you know and I'm proud of where I'm from and I always make sure that us Pacific Islanders we take pride in our name.  

And you know for my surname Fa'amausili to be out there, I'm really proud.  I didn't know that I was the first Pacific female to be inducted and it's a proud moment but I know I'm definitely not going to be the last."