Sisters Sarah Hirini and Rachael Rakatau share a huge respect for each other's achievements on and off the rugby field, and now they get to join forces as Hurricanes in the new Super Rugby Aupiki.
She may be New Zealand's rugby player of the year and an Olympic gold medallist, but Sarah Hirini still looks up to her big sister, Rachael.
A fulltime accountant and a mum of two, Rachael Rakatau has also been rewarded for her own rugby prowess, joining the new women’s Hurricanes team for next year’s inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
It’s the first time in a very long time the two Goss sisters from the Manawatū will play together, with Hirini a powerhouse addition to the Hurricanes side.
Despite having different names across the back of their jerseys, Rakatau and Hirini have an unmistakably strong sisterly bond.
Rakatau Crusaders vs Hurricanes to pause for a second when talking about Hirini, becoming emotional about her younger sister’s dedication to the sport.
“It’s all the off-field stuff she does that’s really inspiring and has helped her get to where she is today,” says 31-year-old Rakatau.
Hirini, 29, has just won three honours at the New Zealand Rugby Awards, including the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year - capping off a year where she led the Black Ferns Sevens on a redemptive journey to Olympic gold in Tokyo. (She also passed her private pilot's licence earlier this week.)
The awards are testimony to her dedication, says Rakatau, but she knows her sister doesn’t play for the accolades.
“She just does everything in her power to make herself better,” she says.
Hirini is equally proud of Rakatau’s accomplishments. “It's really easy to look for inspiration when you have a sister like Rachael doing everything she does,” she says.
“Now I feel really fortunate to be playing alongside her in the Hurricanes, in the inaugural season.”
Hirini was the first player to be announced for the Wellington-based team back in October and her sister’s selection at lock helps make the Hurricanes a stacked side.
Only taking up the sport when she was 22, Rakatau has been in and out of rugby for the past decade - an ACL injury and two pregnancies pausing her playing time.
She’s recognised as a leader, co-captaining the Manawatū Cyclones to win this season’s Farah Palmer Cup championship.
Rakatau balances being a mum to daughter Keita (three), and son Paora (almost two) with her fulltime job as an associate partner at Allan O’Neill Accountants.
She’s sitting in her car as we talk, having to leave work and pick both her kids up from daycare because Keita is feeling unwell.
Now she’s preparing to spend her afternoon working from home while looking after both kids.
She laughs thinking of adding a professional season of rugby into the mix next year.
“I’m just thinking about how I’m going to do all this with the kids next year, but it’s going to work!” she says.
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