Maddie Feaunati’s Journey: From New Zealand Call Centre to England Rugby Star

Maddie Feaunati, who has earned 10 caps for England, reflected on her previous employment at a New Zealand call centre. “I don’t think they really liked me because I was always off with rugby or injured,” she stated. Only one year after leaving that role and joining Exeter, she has secured a central contract with the Red Roses and is looking towards the upcoming summer’s World Cup. This marks a significant change from her earlier experience of handling calls for a bank from her bedroom. She commented, “In New Zealand they always knew me for finding the good jobs that worked around rugby,” adding, “Most players have to work and play and I’m grateful that right now I don’t have to.” The 22-year-old back-row player has had a connection to rugby throughout her life. She was born in Leeds in 2002, a period when her father, Isaac, a Samoan international, was playing for the Premiership Tykes. Her formative years were spent in Bath, where her father played for five years starting in 2003. She informed BBC Sport, “I can remember growing up around the Rec with the likes of Michael Lipman and all that.” Feaunati further noted, “They all inspired me and they all cheer me on to this day and message me on Instagram in replies to my stories.” She concluded, “It’s pretty cool to have that support team around you as well.” Isaac Feaunati, Maddie’s father, played for Bath, Leeds, Rotherham, London Irish, and Samoa. After competing in Super Rugby Aupiki for the Hurricanes Poua and Wellington Pride, Feaunati relocated to England a year prior. She has been identified as an excellent acquisition by Chiefs head coach Susie Appleby, being both English qualified and of international standard. Appleby informed BBC Sport, “We were desperate to get EQP (English Qualified Player) numbers of quality players in here.” She continued, “I probably brought in about four players from around the world that I found last season and she was the golden nugget.” Appleby observed, “At first sight she was incredibly talented, but really raw.” She explained, “New Zealand don’t play in systems, New Zealand just play rugby. She had no idea about the why’s, the how’s, the where’s.” Appleby concluded, “That was the exciting bit, that you can learn that, but you can’t teach raw talent.” Appleby expressed a clear understanding of Feaunati’s potential, particularly with a World Cup approaching. Appleby stated, “The world’s her oyster. She’s got a massive future ahead of her, but she’s a young player still.” She further commented, “She’s learning her trade, she could be one of the best players in the world, but she’s not yet.” Feaunati indicated that her long-standing ambition was to transition to Premiership Women’s Rugby, while also possessing an inner conviction regarding her capability to compete internationally. She remarked, “I was seeing how far I could get in New Zealand and i was probably there or thereabouts.” Feaunati added, “I could have given it a couple more years, but to me growing up and watching the Red Roses and being part of the RFU is something that I really missed.” She concluded, “I wanted to follow in my Dad’s footsteps a bit in coming over here and doing the club thing, but I always knew that I could play for England, so I strived for that as well.” Feaunati (right) was in the starting lineup for Exeter’s 57-7 defeat against Saracens at Sandy Park last May. Attention will be on Feaunati and her teammates this weekend as Exeter faces Saracens in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match, which is a top-of-the-table encounter. Both teams have secured victories in all four of their matches this season, with Sarries holding a two-point lead due to earning a try-scoring bonus in each of their four fixtures. With all players who participated in WXV tournaments for their respective countries now fully rested and rejoined with their club teams, the match is anticipated to be an exciting contest between the league’s top-performing sides. Feaunati stated, “We know Sarries has a really big pack, they’ve got great backs, they’ve got a great kicking game.” She continued, “The focus this week has been all about us, we haven’t focused too much on how well we can integrate together because we know we have the pack and we know we have the skills in the backs.” Feaunati concluded, “We’ve got a really good mindset down here at Chiefs, so hopefully we can put it all together and put on a good performance, but win or lose we’re a really strong-knit team down here.”