Cook Islands women’s rugby has reached a historic milestone, with a full home-grown U18 sevens side competing at the prestigious Global Youth Sevens in Auckland for the first time.
The Māine Tueporo 7s squad, led by 17-year-old captain and multi-sport talent Tashi Kopu, marks a breakthrough for the sport’s development in the islands. Unlike previous representative sides drawn largely from New Zealand-based players, this team is made up entirely of Cook Islands–based athletes — a significant step in building pathways for young women to compete on the international stage.
Head coach Wallace Aroita said the achievement was years in the making.
“This is the first time we are taking a full team,” he said. “The past few weeks have been intensive, with a lot of learning and preparation, but I’m excited for the girls to experience this level of rugby and fully immerse themselves in the tournament.”
Assistant coach William Heather Jnr described the Global Youth Sevens as a benchmark for the team’s progress, offering a rare opportunity to measure Cook Islands talent against some of the best youth sides in the world.
Previously, only a small number of players from Rarotonga were selected to join Cook Islands Rugby New Zealand sides at the tournament.
This year’s squad features nine home-grown players from Rarotonga, supplemented by four Cook Islands players based in New Zealand, highlighting a growing pathway for young female athletes.
Kopu is joined in the leadership group by co-captains Feliza Nicholas and Haveka Mana, with the trio leading a team developed through the Māine Tueporo programme, an initiative designed to create rugby opportunities for young girls on the islands.
For Kopu, the campaign is both historic and personal. Named captain by her teammates, rather than coaches, she described the appointment as a meaningful vote of trust.
“I was really honoured to be named captain,” Kopu said.
“I was really happy that the team trusted me to lead them into this tournament.”
The Global Youth Sevens marks Kopu’s final representative commitment for 2025, closing out a remarkable year in which she has represented the Cook Islands across four different sporting codes.
Her year included selection as a travelling reserve for the Cook Islands U21 women’s netball team at the Netball World Youth Cup, an MVP performance in handball against Fiji, and being named Most Valuable Female Player at the Pacific Cup Touch tournament.
Now stepping onto the international rugby sevens stage for the first time, Kopu said she is feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
“We’ve been working really hard, so I can’t wait to show what we’ve been learning,” she said.
Funding from the Cook Islands Sports National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) has allowed Cook Islands Rugby to take the women’s team and also fund four Under 18 male players to participate — three with Cook Islands Rugby NSW and one with Cook Islands Rugby New Zealand.
Two of the boys, Michael Messine and Alistair Maao, hail from the outer island of Aitutaki, where opportunities to compete internationally are limited.
Both teams departed Rarotonga on Tuesday 16 December and had their first games in Auckland today.
Maine Tueporo lost to Eden Rugby Hawks 0-36 and USA Girls 0-62 while the Cook Islands NSW boys lost 0-35 to USA boys.
The tournament runs through until Sunday 21st.