Kennedy Tukuafu (née Simon) made her
Farah Palmer Cup debut for Waikato in
2018 and immediately established herself
as one of the team’s most important
players.
She was selected for the Black Ferns in
2019 and made four appearances as a
replacement for the team in their Super
Series in San Diego.
Tukuafu was named Black Ferns Player of
the Year in 2021, and despite injury ruling
her out of contention for the early parts
of 2022, she returned to lead the
Black Ferns for the first time alongside
fellow co-captain Ruahei Demant in the
O’Reilly Cup series.
In 2022, Tukuafu returned from injury
to lead the Black Ferns to Rugby World
Cup glory, alongside Demant. In 2023
the pair were named as Members of the
New Zealand Order of Merit.
Career
 |
New Zealand Women Openside Flanker |
2024 - present |
