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 has 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.
Super Rugby Aupiki will be played over four weekends in March, but trainings during the three months beforehand will keep Rakatau busy commuting to Wellington and back.
Before even finalising her contract, Rakatau had sorted out babysitters for her kids, getting family to pitch in outside of daycare hours.
Her husband, Paora, is a construction foreman, working from 6am to 6pm, so they rely heavily on support from family to keep things running smoothly.
“This isn’t possible without the support of our families, both my husband, his family and my dad now, just helping out and making this possible,” she explains.
“How she finds time to sleep or do anything, I don't know,” says Hirini, who lived with Rakatau and her kids during the Manawatū Cyclones season last year.
Growing up in the Manawatū, family had a heavy influence on the duo and shaped them to be who they are today.
The sisters lost their mum, Ronnie Goss, earlier this year, and choosing the Hurricanes to be closer to family in the region was an easy choice for both of them.
Rakatau still lives in Palmerston North, and says keeping that rural connection is important to both sisters.
“We learned a lot about work ethic, grit and resilience through our parents and their working environment as farmers,” says Rakatau on their upbringing. “We’re really proud to come from that rural background.”
Rakatau had no doubt Hirini’s first choice of Super Rugby team would be the Hurricanes, knowing how loyal the dual Olympic medallist is to her family and home.
Hirini is grateful to her extended family’s support. “It means everything to us and I know it's a huge honor for our whānau to have us both playing for the Hurricanes in our home region,” she says.
It’s not only the proximity to home that’s special for the family, though, with Rakatau full of praise for the rugby community in the region.
Manawatū Rugby Union were “incredibly supportive” of Rakatau throughout her two pregnancies.
“When I was pregnant, they kept me in the high performance programme, so I still trained and did stuff with the girls,” says Rakatau, who worked as the Cyclones’ assistant manager in 2019 while she was pregnant.
“They supported me through coming back with my son and now, with two kids, they help me out with babysitting. The kids have to come to training sometimes so it’s really important.”
The sisters were supposed to line up together for the Manawatū Cyclones last year, but an injury ruled out Hirini, which makes next year even more special.
“Well, I hope to make the [playing] 23,” says Rakatau, on the chance of taking the field alongside her sister. “That was one of my drives - to be able to play with her. I’m just really excited.”
Rakatau considered calling it quits at the end of this year, unsure if she’d receive a Super Rugby contract and considering having another baby. The offer from the Hurricanes wasn’t the only thing that called her back though - Rakatau eager to continue what the Cyclones team started.
“I could see some of the younger girls in our team really developing and I know they look up to me,” says Rakatau, who was co-captain with Selica Winiata (who’s also signed with the Hurricanes for next year).
“I thought I just need to be there one more year for them so they can grow more confident and then they’ll take over when I go.”
Hirini and Rakatau won’t be the only sisters on the field for the Hurricanes this year, with young guns Lyric and Dhys Faleafaga also part of the 28-strong squad.
Rakatau describes the women’s rugby community as “very hard working” and praises how far professionalism has come in her playing days.
“I don’t think people realise how much work it takes to be a woman’s rugby player,” she says. “That’s the reason why I play - the connections with all the girls. It’s hard work but it’s so rewarding.”
