Black Ferns and Matat\u016b midfielder Amy Du Plessis has recommitted to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) through to the end of 2029. <\/p>\n
The 2022 Rugby World Cup winner said an historic women\u2019s British and Irish Lions tour next year and the opportunity to be part of a second Rugby World Cup were the driving force behind her long-term deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0grateful for the opportunity to re-sign with the Black Ferns for another three years.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0absolutely loving my rugby and feel incredibly lucky to be part of a team who has helped shape me into the player and person I am today. I love being part of this environment and look forward to continuing to learn, grow and chase success alongside such a special group.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lions Tour next year and the Rugby World Cup in Australia are two huge events on the horizon and will provide opportunities I really want to be part of.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0so much to look forward to, and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0excited to continue contributing to what this team is building. I also feel like I still have plenty more to give, which makes me even more excited about what lies ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old has\u00a0established\u00a0herself in the Black Ferns midfield since scoring two tries on debut against Canada in 2022 and has gone on to play 27 Tests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black Ferns Head Coach Whitney Hansen said Du Plessis\u00a0possessed\u00a0a wide range of skills and had grown into a leader within the group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAmy is an important part of our midfield and brings a clarity and confidence to the group and how we want to play. She\u202freads the game exceptionally well and is someone we can rely on in big moments. Beyond her athletic abilities, she cares deeply about her teammates and has a positive influence on team culture and environment. I look forward to seeing her growth over the next three years, as both a player and a leader.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Born in South Africa,\u00a0Du\u00a0Plessis moved to New Zealand at the age of seven before\u00a0emerging\u00a0through Southland Girls\u2019 High School then rapidly into the Farah Palmer Cup with Otago and Canterbury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She has been with\u00a0Matat\u016b\u00a0since the inaugural Super Rugby\u00a0Aupiki\u00a0season in 2022 and will add to her 20 caps for the club\u00a0during\u00a0the 2026 season, which\u00a0kicks off on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Black Ferns and Matat\u016b midfielder Amy Du Plessis has recommitted to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) through to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723932,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-723931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}