{"id":862912,"date":"2026-08-21T06:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T06:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/862912\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T06:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T06:54:15","slug":"black-ferns-vs-wallaroos-2026-new-zealand-vs-australia-womens-rugby-teams-maddison-levi-debut-oreilly-cup-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/862912\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Ferns vs Wallaroos 2026: New Zealand vs Australia women\u2019s rugby teams; Maddison Levi debut, O\u2019Reilly Cup preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wallaroos<\/a> are confident that Maddison Levi<\/a> is ready to tackle New Zealand\u2019s mighty Black Ferns after the sevens superstar was named to make her Test debut in Auckland on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Levi had hoped to play at the 2025 Rugby World Cup<\/a> but withdrew from selection after fears that she was being set up to fail without adequate preparation.<\/p>\n

Now 24 and already Australia\u2019s all-time leading sevens try-scorer, Levi has been named on the bench for the Wallaroos\u2019 100th Test against all nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, Maddi\u2019s just a really natural footballer,\u201d assistant coach Mike Ruthven said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve done a really good job this week to create a space and create an environment where she feels really comfortable to be herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that, she\u2019s a really intelligent footballer. She\u2019s picked things up really quickly. She\u2019s been really confident in her communication. So yeah, absolutely no doubt that Maddi\u2019s ready for this challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia has not beaten New Zealand in a women\u2019s Test in 30 attempts.<\/p>\n

But Wallaroos No.8 Piper Duck was bullish about the impact Levi\u2019s inclusion could have on her team\u2019s chances of making history. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a matter of whether she\u2019s ready,\u201d Duck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs New Zealand ready for her when she comes out into those Wallaroos colours? I think Maddi is more than ready to be taking the field on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is such an incredible athlete. She\u2019s putting everything into this camp in learning and educating herself with the game of 15s but with the kind of style she plays, the way she carries the ball, the way she moves in that defensive line and puts pressure, she\u2019s going to add such value to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teenage Wallaroos playmaker Waiaria Ellis also said Levi\u2019s swagger had rubbed off on her new teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a world-class athlete and the \u2018GOAT\u2019 at sevens at the moment,\u201d Ellis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe brings so much knowledge to the game. Fifteens and sevens are different games, but rugby is rugby, and she has so much confidence and clarity.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s asked questions when she\u2019s needed to ask questions, and just having her there and knowing that I\u2019m going to be her teammate, but also her 10\u2026 it\u2019s pretty crazy, and it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loose forward Pia Tapsell is also in line to make history by becoming the first player to represent the Black Ferns and Wallaroos.<\/p>\n

Melbourne-born Tapsell played six Tests for New Zealand in 2019-20 before moving to Perth in 2024.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old has been named on the bench by new Wallaroos coach Tim Walsh.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Whitney Hansen – daughter of ex-All Blacks boss Steve – has named the uncapped Amarante Sititi on her bench.<\/p>\n

Sititi, 19,\u00a0is the sister of All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Amarante Sititi of the Black Ferns.\u00a0Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cAmarante is a phenomenal talent with the versatility to play both lock and loose forward as she continues to develop. She\u2019s powerful in collisions and is building a deeper understanding of her role within the team,\u201d Hansen said.<\/p>\n

Black Ferns (15-1):\u00a0Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Mererangi Paul, Amy Du Plessis, Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai\u2019i Sylvia Brunt, Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga, Ruahei Demant (c), Maia Joseph, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Elinor-Plum King, Liana Mikaele-Tu\u2019u, Maama Mo\u2019onia Vaipulu, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, Georgia Ponsonby, Chryss Viliko<\/p>\n

Reserves:\u00a0Vici-Rose Green, Maddison Robinson, Santo Taumata, Amarante Sititi, Mia Anderson, Ariana Bayler, Hannah King, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua\u2019a<\/p>\n

Wallaroos (15-1):\u00a0Faitala Moleka, Maya Stewart, Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea, Cecilia Smith, Desiree Miller, Waiaria Ellis, Tia Hinds, Piper Duck, Lily Bone, Siokapesi Palu Sekona (c), Michaela Leonard, Kaitlan Leaney, Eva Karpani, Tania Naden, Brianna Hoy<\/p>\n

Reserves:\u00a0Brittany Merlo, Allana Sikimeti, Bridie O\u2019Gorman, Pia Tapsell, Emily Chancellor, Samantha Wood, Bienne Terita, Maddison Levi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Wallaroos are confident that Maddison Levi is ready to tackle New Zealand\u2019s mighty Black Ferns after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-862912","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\/862912","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=862912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}