Waitaki rugby player Cheyenne Cunningham has ticked another goal off the list, being named in the Black Ferns XV squad this week.

The 23-year-old Ōamaru player said she was “over the moon” to get the phone call from head coach Whitney Hansen letting her know she had been selected.

“I made that one of my goals throughout my Farrah Palmer Cup season this year to try and make that team, so I’m stoked that I was selected,” she said. 

The team was formed by New Zealand Rugby this year to foster the professional growth of players, coaches and management on the international stage and provide a high- performance pathway to the Black Ferns.

Cheyenne started playing club rugby for Valley in 2005 until high school, when she played for Waitaki Girls High School. She has also been part of Waitaki Wahine since she was 15, and played for the Otago Spirit squad since 2017.

Cheyenne also played for this year’s competition-winning Matatū in Super Rugby Aupiki.

She loves the “physicality” of the sport and “getting a bit rough out on the field”. She also loved the strong bond within the team.

“It’s such a great team sport.”

Cheyenne flies to Auckland this Sunday (September 17) to join the rest of the squad. 

“We’ve got trainings and gym sessions throughout the week before game day on Saturday,” she said.

The team plays Manusina XV (Samoa) at 4.35pm in Pukekohe on Saturday, September 23. The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sport.

Cheyenne will be one of the more experienced players in the squad, with more than half the players under the age of 22.

Whitney Hansen said the squad signals a bright future for the Black Ferns.

“One of the highlights of this year’s Farah Palmer Cup was the number of young players that really impressed for their provinces. So many players put their hand up for selection that made it a tough job for us as coaches,” she said.