Maddie Feaunati (born 18 May 2002) is an English rugby union player. She plays internationally for England and for Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Women's Rugby.
| Born | 18 May 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Isaac Fe'aunati (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Early life
editFeaunati was born in Leeds, England before moving to New Zealand as a nine year old, she later attended St Mary's College in Wellington.[1] She played netball, and rugby alongside her three sisters.[1] She is the daughter of former Samoan international and Bath No. 8 Isaac ‘Zak’ Feaunati, who also played Jonah Lomu in the 2009 film Invictus.[2][3]
She competed for New Zealand Touch Blacks Mixed U18s in the 2020 Youth Trans Tasman against Australia.[4]
She has a degree in digital marketing.[5]
Rugby career
editFeaunati played provincially for Otago Spirit and Wellington Pride in the Farah Palmer Cup.[1][5] She has also played for Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition.[5][6]
She made her Chiefs debut against Leicester Tigers in the Allianz Cup and made her first league start against Ealing Trailfinders in January 2024.[7][8] She and younger sister, Zara, signed a new contract with Chiefs for next season.[7][9]
Feaunati made her test debut for England against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations on 24 March.[1][9] She made five appearances off the bench during the tournament and scored her first international try against Ireland at Twickenham on 20 April in the Red Roses 88–10 victory.[10][11] She was also qualified to play for Samoa and New Zealand.[1][8] She got her first start for the Red Roses in the September test against France.[12][13] She was brought in as a replacement for the injured, Sadia Kabeya.[12][10]
Feaunati was confirmed as a member of England's 30-player squad for the 2024 WXV 1 tournament that is held in Canada.[14][15] On 17 March 2025, she was named in England's squad for the Women's Six Nations Championship.[16][17] She was later named in the side for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.[18][19]
Honours
edit- England
- Women's Rugby World Cup
Champion (1): 2025
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Rendell, Sarah (3 April 2024). "Maddie Feaunati: Ten things you should know about the England back row". Rugby World. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ Rendell, Sarah (15 March 2024). "England call up daughter of Jonah Lomu actor after she snubbed New Zealand". Rugby World. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ Packer, Marlie (6 September 2024). "Marlie Packer: Feaunati's England breakthrough is a huge moment for women's rugby". Evening Standard. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Trans Tasman - 2020 Youth". FIT. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- 1 2 3 Morgan, Charlie (5 September 2024). "Maddie 'The Baddie' Feaunati: I was five when I saw Marlie Packer play – now she's my captain". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Maddie Feaunati: Exeter sign New Zealand-based flanker". BBC Sport. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- 1 2 "Feaunati sisters sign up for next season". www.exeterchiefs.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- 1 2 Thomas, Martyn (5 September 2024). "'Where I'm meant to be': Maddie 'The Baddy' Feaunati enjoying England homecoming". www.rugbypass.com. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- 1 2 "Exeter Chiefs: England forward Maddie Feaunati signs new deal". BBC Sport. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- 1 2 Baldock, Andrew (5 September 2024). "England flanker Maddie Feaunati set for first Test start against France". www.independent.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ "England flanker Maddie Feaunati set for first Test start against France". www.torbayweekly.co.uk. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- 1 2 "England Red Roses: Maddie Feaunati to make first Test start against France". www.skysports.com. 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ "England v France: Flanker Maddie Feaunati makes first international start for Red Roses". BBC Sport. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Red Roses WXV 1 squad announced". www.englandrugby.com. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Sixteen Exeter Chiefs Women head to WXV". www.exeterchiefs.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Red Roses squad for Six Nations announced". England Rugby. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ↑ Thomas, Martyn (17 March 2025). "John Mitchell names 4 0 players in England's Six Nations squad". RugbyPass. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ↑ Cartwright, Phil (24 July 2025). "Hunt & Scarratt in England's Rugby World Cup squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ↑ "Red Roses Rugby squad for 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
External links
edit- Maddie Feaunati at England Rugby
- Maddie Feaunati at Exeter Chiefs
- Maddie Fe’aunati at rugbydatabase.co.nz/
