Northern United rugby player Faythe Finau has been selected for New Zealand’s first women’s Under-21 international rugby team, which will face Australia in Christchurch later this month.
The Wellington and Hurricanes Poua prop is among 24 players named for the inaugural fixture against Australia NextGen at One New Zealand Stadium on Saturday 31 October.
The selection marks another significant achievement for Finau, whose rugby career has taken her from Porirua club rugby to provincial and Super Rugby representation.
Finau has represented Northern United, known as Norths, in Wellington club rugby and has played for the Wellington Pride in the Farah Palmer Cup.
She made her Hurricanes Poua debut during the 2026 Super Rugby Aupiki season and has now earned selection for the new national age-grade side.
New Zealand Rugby announced the squad on 7 October, with head coach Hayden Triggs leading the team.
The match is the first international fixture for the newly established New Zealand women’s Under-21 programme and forms part of efforts to strengthen the development pathway between domestic rugby and the Black Ferns.
Nineteen of the 24 selected players held Super Rugby Aupiki contracts during the 2026 season, reflecting the level of senior competition experience in the squad.
Finau is one of four players listed from Wellington and the Hurricanes Poua, alongside Keiana Roffey, Keira Su’a-Smith and other representatives from the region in the wider selection.
The New Zealand team will play Australia NextGen at 4.30pm on 31 October.
The match will be followed by the Black Ferns’ Test against France, also at One New Zealand Stadium, giving the younger players an opportunity to take part in a major international rugby occasion.
The Australian team has named a 35-player squad ahead of the fixture, with its final travelling matchday selection expected on 29 October.
For Finau, the national selection is another step in a pathway that has included club, provincial and Super Rugby competition.
Her achievement also provides a positive moment for Norths and Porirua women’s rugby, with a player developed through the local game now preparing to wear the national jersey.