College Rifles Rugby Football Club

Zarn Sullivan

Date of Birth: 07/10/2000

Representative Teams:

Maori All Blacks
Blues
Auckland NPC

Position: FullBack or First Five

Biography:

Zarn attended King’s College while progressing through the development programmes at Auckland Rugby and the Blues. He represented NZ Maori Schools and NZ Schools at first-five before moving into the Blues A Team in 2020, under Alama Ieremia.

That was enough to convince Ieremia who selected Sullivan from the College Rifles club for his Auckland side in the Mitre-10 Cup in 2020. Zarn also spent much of the 2020 season training as injury cover with the Blues.

With benefit of his 1.93m frame and deft skills, Sullivan was tried at fullback where his poise and a hefty left boot saw him earn eight caps in the 2020 season.

Zarn made his Blues debut in the final round of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season, starting at fullback against the Chiefs at Eden Park. Coincidentally, Zarn’s brother Bailyn was playing for the Chiefs, making the occasion extra special for the Sullivan family.

Sullivan went on to feature at fullback for the entire Super Rugby Trans-Tasman campaign, showing a calm head under pressure. In 2022 Sullivan’s talent was recognised when he was selected for the NZ Maori team off the back of an impressive Super Rugby campaign. Sullivan continued to impress in 2023, strong performances at fullback earning him the starting jersey regularly in competition with Stephen Perofeta.

Maama Vaipulu

Date of Birth: 26/11/2002

Representative Teams:

Black Ferns
Blues Super W
Auckland FPC

Position: Lock

Biography:

Maama Vaipulu, a star volleyball player, was a late arrival to the rugby scene. But this player has ‘hops’ making her an exciting young lock to keep an eye on. It was a breakthrough season in 2022 for Vaipulu who started most games at lock for the Auckland Storm. She got her first taste of Super Rugby for the Blues in 2023 and was a dominant force in their lineout and was a member of the Farah Palmer Cup-winning Auckland Storm later that same year.

It is of no surprise this youthful lock caught the eyes of selectors after an exceptional Sky Super Rugby Aupiki in 2024, Vaipulu made her Black Ferns debut against USA in the Pacific Four Series in Hamilton in May 2024.

Maiakawanakaulani Roos

Date of Birth: 27/07/2001

Representative Teams:

Black Ferns
Blues Super W
Auckland FPC

Position: Lock

Biography:

Auckland youngster Maia Roos has quickly risen through the rugby ranks, debuting for the Auckland Storm in 2019 and forming a strong partnership in the middle row with Eloise Blackwell.

Roos was Head Girl at Tamaki College, she played two matches for the NZ Barbarians in 2020 and was part of the inaugural Blues women’s team.

Roos made her Test debut against England in Northampton in November 2021 and was a member of the Black Ferns Rugby World Cup 2021 winning squad.

In 2023 Roos became the youngest Black Ferns captain at the age of 21. She captained the side against her country of birth USA and led the Black Ferns to their 2023 Pacific Four Series title.

Liana Mikaele-Tuu

Date of Birth: 2/03/2002

Representative Teams:

Black Ferns
Blues Super W
Auckland FPC

Position: Number 8

Biography:

Liana Mikaele-Tu’u made her debut in the Farah Palmer Cup for Hawke’s Bay while still at Hastings Girls’ High School in 2019. The teenager moved to Auckland for university and continued to rise in the ranks. After just nine games for the Auckland Storm she was selected by the Black Ferns for the 2021 Northern Tour.

She came off the bench in the Black Ferns 100th test against England and went on to start the remaining three tests on tour earning praise for her grit, athleticism and being nominated for Black Ferns Player of the Year.

Mikaele-Tu’u first played rugby when she was in Year 11. It was the year her high school, Hastings Girls’, finally formed a First XV and was coached by legendary Black Ferns halfback Emma Jensen.

Mikaele-Tu’u was part of the victorious Black Ferns Rugby World Cup squad, where she was a constant feature in the starting line-up, producing some dominant performances.

Ruahei Demant

Date of Birth: 21/04/1995

Representative Teams:

Black Ferns (Captain)
Auckland Blues Super W
Auckland FPC
Barbarians

Position: 10 or 12

Biography:

Ruahei Demant has overcome more setbacks than most to achieve her rugby goals. The first five-eighths endured no less than three knee reconstructions after her 2013 debut for the Auckland Storm. But she bounced back to crack the Black Ferns for the first time in 2018, following in the footsteps of younger sister Kiritapu, who wore the black jersey in 2015.

In 2019, she was accorded the honour of playing for the UK Barbarians team against Wales in Cardiff.

Demant’s time management skills are also ﬁnely honed as, along with her training and match commitments for her College Riﬂes club, the Storm and the Black Ferns, she is a fully qualified lawyer.

In 2022, she was named as captain for the Pacific Four Series in New Zealand and led the Black Ferns to Rugby World Cup glory in the same year. In 2023 Demant alongside Black Ferns Co-Captain Kennedy Simon were named as Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Rocky Khan

Date of Birth: 06/05/1989

Representative Teams

All Black 7s
Auckland 7s

Position: Fullback

Biography: An exciting young player and the first of Asian descent to pull on a black jersey. He stepped up to the plate in 2013 on debut at the Wellington Sevens and scored with one of his first touches of the ball. He played a valuable back-up role to Tomasi Cama, taking over the veteran playmaker’s duties when injury forced him out of the Hong Kong and Tokyo tournaments.

Kiritapu Demant

Date of Birth: 08/10/1996

Representative Teams

NZ Black Ferns
Auckland

Position: Halfback

Biography: Demant goes from strength to strength and in 2015 made the step up to the national stage. The young Demant has been playing senior and first class rugby since 2013 and made her Women's Provincial Championship debut while still at Epsom Girls Grammar. Extremely quickly, she was part of the Auckland Women's Sevens team that picked up the national title at the 2015 Bayleys National Sevens in Rotorua. She is one of a number of new players to earn her first selection into the National Fifteens team in 2015.

Lesley Ketu

Date of Birth: 10/01/1987

Representative Teams

NZ Black Ferns
Waikato

Position: Loose Forward

Biography: Fast, determined and reliable, Lesley Ketu made a welcome return to top-level rugby last year after a long break from the game. In 2014 Ketu was a start for every WPC match for Waikato on the openside flank as Waikato progressed to the Final for the first time since re-joining the WPC in 2012. She was also named in Waikato’s 2014/15 sevens squad, with selectors attracted by her speed and ability to pick and go. She had previously appeared in Waikato squads as a teenager in 2004 and 2005. During her time away from rugby, Ketu earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies at Waikato University.

Claire Richardson

Date of Birth:

Representative Teams

New Zealand Black Ferns

Position: Centre

Biography: Claire Richardson rejoined the Black Ferns in 2012 for the first time since 2007 after a strong season with Otago in the Women’s Provincial Championship where she extended her record points tally for the province. Although she has played much of her rugby at fullback, Richardson is a skilled midfielder and frequently causes problems for her opponents with her accuracy and precision in both defence and attack.

Anna Richards

Date of Birth: 03/12/1964

Representative Teams

New Zealand Black Ferns
New Zealand Womens Sevens
New Zealand Womens Touch

Position: First Five-Eighths

Biography: Anna Richards is the most capped Black Ferns player. She has achieved much on the rugby field, including winning Women's Rugby World Cup gold medals in 1998, 2002 and 2006, celebrating success in the Canada Cup in 1996, 2002 and 2005 and she was a member of the 2004 Churchill Cup-winning side. Her distinguished career also includes club rugby stints in Italy and England. She is an all-round sportswoman who has represented New Zealand in Sevens and touch rugby. She has also played provincial netball for Canterbury.