Autumn-Rain_Stephens-Daly

Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly

Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly

New Zealand international rugby league player

Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly (born 6 August 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership.

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A five-eighth, fullback and wing, she previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the NRLW and for Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition.

Background

Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, Stephens-Daly is of Māori descent.[3]

Playing career

Early years

Stephens-Daly started her career playing rugby sevens and rugby union.[4] In 2014, she played for the Waikite rugby union team.[5] She represented the Bay of Plenty Volcanix side from 2015 to 2019, only missing 2018.[6][7] In November 2018, she was named in the New Zealand Maori Ferns train-on squad.[8] In 2019, she played for the Whakarewarewa rugby union side.[9] In 2020, she played for the Upper Central Stallions in the inaugural NZRL National Women's Championship.[4][10] In November 2020, she represented the Kiwi Ferns against the Fetū Samoa invitational side, scoring two tries in the Kiwi Fern's 28-8 victory.[11] In December 2020, she won the Kiwi Ferns Rookie of the Year award.[12] In December 2021, she signed with the Newcastle Knights to be a part of their inaugural NRLW squad.[13]

2022

In February, Stephens-Daly played for the Māori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars,[14] scoring the team's only points with two tries in their 8-18 loss.[15] In round 1 of the delayed 2021 NRL Women's season, she made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Parramatta Eels.[16]

In October, she was selected for the New Zealand squad at the delayed 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup in England.[17]

2023

In March, Stephens-Daly signed played for the Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki. She was one of three final signings confirmed for the side in December 2022.[18]

On 17 May, Stephens-Daly returned to rugby league, signing a two-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.[19]

In Round 3 of the 2023 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Cowboys in their 40–12 loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[20] In Round 5, she tore her ACL in a loss to the Cronulla Sharks, ruling her out for the season.[21]

References

  1. [1]
    "Rookie watch: Remember the name Autumn-Rain". National Rugby League. 19 January 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  3. [3]
    "Autumn-Rain Stephens hits back for the Maori All Stars". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. [4]
    "Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly".
  5. [5]
    "Rugby: Is this the best try celebration ever?". NZ Herald.
  6. [6]
    "The rise of the BOP Volcanix continues". NZ Herald.
  7. [7]
    "Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly | New Zealand Rugby History". www.rugbyhistory.co.nz.
  8. [8]
    "All Stars ideal Indigenous pathway for Young and youngsters". National Rugby League. 6 November 2018.
  9. [9]
    "Whakarewarewa too good for Mount Maunganui". NZ Herald.
  10. [10]
    "Upper Central Zone Rugby League - Congratulations to the following players named for the Upper Central Stallions team playing in the 2020 North Island Championship. | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
  11. [11]
    "Rookie leads Kiwi Ferns to win over Samoa". National Rugby League. 7 November 2020.
  12. [12]
    League, Asia Pacific Rugby (16 December 2020). "Fisher-Harris and Rota 2020 New Zealand Rugby League Players of the Year".
  13. [13]
    "Knights finalise NRLW squad with signings of Queensland-based players". Newcastle Knights. 3 December 2021.
  14. [14]
    "Maori v Indigenous All Stars: Both sides 1-18 with no late changes". National Rugby League. 12 February 2022.
  15. [15]
    "Maori Women's v Indigenous Women's". National Rugby League.
  16. [16]
    "Late mail: 1-17 confirmed for opening NRLW game". Newcastle Knights. 27 February 2022.
  17. [17]
    Priest, Craig (2 October 2022). "Kiwi Ferns name 24-strong World Cup squad". New Zealand Rugby League. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  18. [18]
    "Hurricanes Poua lure NRLW champion Kiwi Fern home for Super Rugby Aupiki". Stuff. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Cowboys sign Kiwi Ferns star Stephens-Daly". NQ Cowboys. 17 May 2023.
  20. [20]
    "Broncos bag first win as Mele mauls Cowboys". NRL.com. 5 August 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Cowboys NRLW team list: Round 6 v Eels". NQ Cowboys. 22 August 2023.
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