Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini and teammate Ruby Tui have both committed to the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki women's competition to kick off in 2022.
Both were stars of the Tokyo Olympics gold-medal campaign, but have rarely been sighted in the 15-a-side game, given their international commitments to the reduced format.
Hirini, 28, has some 15s pedigree, contributing to the Black Ferns' 2017 World Cup triumph, and becomes the first player signed by the Hurricanes franchise.
more to come
"It's a huge honour to play for the region I grew up in and the club I've supported for a very long time," she says. "I'm from Manawatu, born and bred down there, went to Feilding High School, and although I have recently moved away from the region, I still represent them and play for them.
"I'm just super excited for Super Rugby Aupiki to be going ahead. A lot of people have put in a lot of work to make sure that this competition goes ahead next year.
"It's been a long time coming and I just know that this is a great step forward, creating so much exposure for the women's game. Also, next year being so exciting with the World Cup in New Zealand, it’s just going to keep flying that momentum behind the game."
Tui, 29, has been more of a sevens specialist, with a reputation as a fan favourite off the field, but relishes the opportunity to develop her skills in the longer form on the Chiefs squad, under former NZ sevens coach Allan Bunting.
"Culture is huge for me, so the main attraction to the Chiefs rugby club was definitely their culture," she says. "I think the club has a huge amount of mana, I've played a lot of footy around the country, been involved in a lot of teams, even internationally, but to me, the Chiefs hold something really special.
"They don't just talk it, they walk it."
The Chiefs helped blaze the trail for the new competition, when they took on the Blues women in a demonstration game earlier this year. Their squad already features current Black Ferns 15s skipper Les Elder.
"Watching that game and understanding how important culture is, especially with Allan Bunting at the helm, there's just no way I could look past the Chiefs," she says. "They're the whole package, and the words 'mana' and 'culture' are super important to me and my rugby.
"To me, the off-field is just important as the on-field and I think the Chiefs are probably leading that women's space at the moment, so I'm so excited."
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