Laura Bayfield links up in a Black Ferns captains run before their test against Australia. Photo / Getty Images
“After a bit of small talk, he congratulated me and I just couldn’t really compute it. I got off the phone and burst into tears. I was speechless.
“Mum and Dad were about to get on a flight back to Auckland and I’m pretty sure they took my call when they were on the airbridge, so it made their flight home exciting.”
It’s been a steady rise through the ranks for Bayfield – in both rugby and as a captain in the New Zealand Army’s 3rd Field and Emergency Response Squadron.
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Bayfield is the newest Black Fern among the 32 players named on Friday afternoon, and one of 14 who will play in their first World Cup tournament. The youngest among them is 18-year-old fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee.
At the other end of the scale, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, 34, and Kelly Brazier, 35, will play in their fourth XV World Cups. One notable omission from the team is 2021 World Cup champion and crowd favourite Ruby Tui.
The Black Ferns squad will spend the next few weeks at the NZCIS campus in Wellington before they fly to the United Kingdom for the World Cup tournament.
One of Bayfield’s sisters is living in England, and they haven’t seen each other in nearly three years. “Having this opportunity to finally get to catch up with her is really special,” she says.
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After gaining her first full-time Black Ferns contract after this Super Rugby Aupiki season, Bayfield missed selection for the Pacific Four series, so returned to Christchurch for a few club games with the Linwood Wāhine.
“It was so fun going back to club after the Super season and I loved the opportunity to keep working on my skills and enjoying the game,” she says.
With only one match to go in the lead-up to the World Cup, Bayfield received the call she’d been hoping for.
“Leading into my debut, I wasn’t too worried about World Cup selection as I knew that it wasn’t within my control so just had to focus on the game ahead,” she says.
“When I was told that I was coming off the bench I was in the airport with [teammates] Chelsea [Bremner] and Alana [Borland] so we started walking through the lineout calls in the terminal, just to make sure I was prepared.
“I felt the nerves coming in on the captain’s run but when I ran onto the field on the day, I was confident and had a massive sense of pride. It was so special to play my first match on home soil as not many people get to do that, especially since my mum and dad were in the crowd.”
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Bayfield isn’t a stranger to pressure. Becoming a New Zealand Army captain at 24, and as a sapper – or army engineer – who’s specialised in building bridges, she’s been put through her fair share of training in highly pressurised situations. These skills will be vital in the upcoming tournament, where a target will be on the backs of the Black Ferns as they seek to defend their 2021 title.
“The Army has definitely provided the mental skills to perform under pressure, both doing field work and tactical exercises in the classroom. I didn’t realise how much experience I had with dealing with pressure until it became time to pull on that jersey and perform,” says Bayfield.
“Although in the past year, as we’ve been getting out on Cass Bay for boating exercises and doing demolition exercises in Tekapo, I’ve been responsible for the paperwork, so it’s not been quite as exciting.”
Bayfield has placed her military career on hold as she chases her rugby dreams.
After following in the footsteps of her grandfather Roy Moore – a Kiwi Fern in the 1950s – Bayfield dabbled in rugby league, playing for the Mid-Central Vipers in the 2021 NZRL national premiership before turning to rugby union.
She was roped into her first club game for Linton by fellow international representative Crystal Mayes, who was also posted to Linton Military Camp in Palmerston North.
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“Crystal was taking one of the PT sessions on a particularly wet and muddy day, and I was going hard trying to beat all the boys. Once the session finished, she came over and told me that I had to come to the next rugby training.”
While she’s been based in Christchurch for the last few years, she’s sacrificed time with her long-term partner, Rikki Rawleigh, who lives in Palmerston North and works for the Royal New Zealand Airforce.
The Canterbury development system was a big drawcard for Bayfield moving south, where she became stationed as the second in charge of the 3rd Field and Emergency Response Squadron in Burnham.
Bayfield made her FPC debut for the Tasman Mako in 2022 before tearing her medial cruciate ligament (MCL) in her knee in her fourth game. After a painful recovery that knocked her out of the season, she returned to the pitch in 2023, this time pulling on the red and black for Canterbury.
After a brilliant breakout season with Canterbury and still balancing her full-time Army engineering duties, Bayfield made her debut for the Black Ferns XV against Samoa’s Manusina XV in 2023.
Whitney Hansen, head coach of 2023 Black Ferns XV and Super Rugby Aupiki side, Matatū, was quick to pick up on Bayfield’s talent and she played her Super Rugby debut in 2024. As a standout in her debut season, starting all six games at lock, Bayfield was contracted again to Matatū in 2025.
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Looking back on her journey to the Black Ferns, Bayfield can’t quite believe she’s made it this far.
“When I first started playing it was just for fun, I never thought it would turn into anything,” she says. “It wasn’t until I first played for the Mako that I thought it could be a career option, and then as I made my debuts for Canterbury and Matatū, I started to think that maybe I could do this.
“Rikki has always known that I was going to be able to get to this point and has always supported me in making the right decisions to become a professional athlete – including doing long-distance for three years now. I also love my work within the military so giving that up hasn’t been easy, but this selection does help make those sacrifices feel worth it.”
Bayfield’s other love is multi-sport and adventure racing – although she hasn’t been able to do much of the latter since fracturing her ankle in the Godzone adventure race in 2021.
“I managed to put my foot through a rotting log and had to get helicoptered out 24 hours in, so have some unfinished business there. I’ve heard that women get better at endurance racing as we get older, so I think I have some time to get back to that,” Bayfield laughs.
With years of balancing rugby trainings with intensive Army PT sessions of running intervals, battle scenarios and obstacle courses carrying heavy packs and logs, she says it’s been refreshing to dive into one sport.
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“I’ve been lucky to be able to take leave without pay and have been very grateful for the support the Army has given me to focus on rugby,” Bayfield says.
“I’m feeling strong and as a full-time player I’ve had more time to be deliberate in developing my skills and my strength. The feedback I’ve been receiving from the coaches is more specific, too, so even though I didn’t play in the PAC4 series at the start of the year, I’ve still felt the growth training at home.”
A fresh body and mind will be on her side as the Black Ferns travel to England to take on Spain in their first pool match on August 25 in York.
Bayfield’s support crew will be in full force, with her parents, Rawleigh and a couple of aunties and uncles jumping on a plane to attend the games.
“It’s a pinnacle event and I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere and buzz around England. The connection and energy this week throughout the team has been amazing, we are just all really enjoying the moment,” she says.
“This is such a crazy job, you get into it because you just love playing rugby and then you’re getting to hang out with your best mates every day. It’s super special.”
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The Black Ferns take on the best in the world from their first match against Spain on August 25. Match schedules here: rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en/matches
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.