Cheryl Waaka: From the well-known Northland family, Cheryl Waaka played first-class rugby as both
a wing and a loose forward, but her career really took off after switching to the pack. Tall and strong in
the mould of Louisa Wall, who was one of the guns on the New Zealand scene at the time, Waaka
had good ball skills and a sharp turn of speed but found herself far more suited to the constant action
that a flanker gets involved in. She had made the Black Ferns from Northland – no small feat – but
came to Auckland in the second year of NPC play, initially hooking up with Suburbs before moving to
Ponies. A member of two World Cup-winning teams, she ousted Melodie Robinson from the starting
blindside role in the Black Ferns before completing a 20-test career a couple of seasons later.