The Kiwi Ferns haven’t lifted the Women’s World Cup since 2008, but Canberra Raiders star Leianne Tufuga believes a talented new generation can finally end the Jillaroos’ reign.

THE TEAM most likely to topple the current title holders, the Jillaroos, at the 2026 Women’s World Cup on 15th November in Brisbane is the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns.

Like their fierce rivals, all the Kiwi Ferns players will go into the tournament off the back of a full NRLW season. The Australian domestic competition is arguably the toughest women’s rugby arena in the world.

It won’t be easy. New Zealand stands equal with Australia in winning three World Cup trophies but hasn’t won the tournament since 2008. The last World Cup Final saw the Kiwi Ferns humbled by the Jillaroos 54-4, while in the final of the Pacific Championships last year the Australians ran out 40-4 winners.

Canberra Raiders and Kiwi Ferns outside back Leianne Tufuga believes her nation has the ability and talent to be world champions and it will be how they come together as a team that will determine their success.

“There’s always been really good competition (between Australia and New Zealand), and it just shows that both countries have natural talent, whether it’s fitness or strength, or just the ability to really give it a go,” said the 24-year-old, who has played seven internationals for her birth country.

“I think one thing for us that we could work on is just that connection. There’s a lot of us that are still living in New Zealand and also living here (in Australia) and I think just having that connection throughout the campaign because I know we definitely have the talent. We’ve got very talented girls physically and mentally, and coming up to the World Cup, it’s just going to come down to who wants it more and who has the heart for it.”

A recent policy change removing tiering for women’s international rugby league and allowing players to switch between nations is likely to have a positive effect for New Zealand. Already, Jillaroo players Shannon Mato and Kennedy Cherrington have declared for the Kiwi Ferns, with more likely to follow.

“You can always have the passion to play for whatever team that you want to play for, but when home calls it’s different. I think it’s such a cool opportunity for these girls to experience both sides, and because Kennedy is Maori I think it’s just an amazing thing and I really truly believe she will enjoy it because of that.”

After growing up for the first six years of her life in the rugby league nursery of South Auckland, Tufuga and her family moved to Sydney, where she went through most of primary and high school before returning to New Zealand. While playing rugby union, she was asked to represent Samoa, the birthplace of her father, in a rugby league international against the Kiwi Ferns. A stint playing union in Japan followed before she eventually returned to Sydney to find her rugby league pathway. The opportunity came via long-time friend and Jillaroo Tiana Penitani-Gray.

“We’ve known each other since I was a little kid. She posted on her socials if anyone wanted to play NSW Premiership (second-tier competition) at the time. So I started and then that first season I played I got asked to play NRLW for the Roosters. We won the Premiership, which was in a Covid year.”

Tufuga had a stint at the Wests Tigers before settling at Canberra Raiders. She made her international debut for New Zealand in 2023 at the Pacific Championships.

“When I got the call from the New Zealand coach I didn’t really know what to expect because there’s so much talent within this sport and I was just trying my best. I was actually very emotional, because not only was I grateful for the opportunity representing New Zealand, and where I come from, where I was born. New Zealand is the country where my dad had flown to just have a better lifestyle for himself. I wasn’t only thinking about myself and representing New Zealand, but also the reason why I was there, and it being my home, and being born in New Zealand.”

Playing in her first World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would be a dream come true for Tufuga, but she knows there is plenty of hard work ahead with the Canberra Raiders this upcoming season if she wants to make the squad.

“It would be absolutely amazing for me to make the team. I say this all the time, but when you get picked it means you deserve to be on that team. I want to be picked because I know I deserve to be in the team. Like I said before, there’s so much talent, and also younger players coming up. We all want a spot, and we all want to be there, but at the end of the day, it would mean a lot. The World Cup being here also in Australia and New Zealand is a big one. So I would be absolutely honoured.”

The nomadic Raiders centre, who works as a project officer for original Jillaroo and NRL Hall of Famer Katrina Fanning’s consultancy firm, didn’t ever envisage that she would be doing what she is doing now in Australia’s capital city.

“If you were to ask me when I was little what I wanted to do, I wouldn’t have seen this (a career playing rugby league). I would always look up to my siblings, and my siblings were the ones that would always play sports, and I was just that little kid going to the canteen and just having fun and I did not expect it to turn out like this, but I’m so grateful, and that’s kind of where I’ve slipped into now.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 522 (July 2026)