Amy du Plessis (born 7 July 1999) is a South African born, New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. She plays for

Matatū Matatū is a New Zealand women's professional rugby union team that competes in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition. Matatū represents the South Island, specifically the regions covered by the Crusaders and the Highlanders. They are governed ...

in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition and for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

provincially. She also plays for the Black Ferns internationally and was a member of their

2021 Rugby World Cup The 2021 Rugby World Cup was the ninth staging of the women's Rugby World Cup, as organised by World Rugby. It was held from 8 October to 12 November 2022 in Auckland and Whangārei, New Zealand. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2021, ...

champion squad.

Early life

Du Plessis was born in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Her family immigrated and settled in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

when she was seven. She was a key part of

Southland Girls' High School Southland Girls' High School is a state girls' Year 7–13 secondary school in Georgetown, Invercargill, New Zealand. The school was established in 1879. It is a single-sex state school for years 7 to 13 with a roll of students as of From the ...

's rugby success. She helped win their first national Top 4 final in 2016.

Rugby career

2018–20

Du Plessis made her debut for

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

in 2018. She played for the Probables against the Possibles in the Black Ferns trial in 2020. She appeared for the Black Ferns 15s at the Takiwhitu Tūturu Pure Sevens tournament in Hataitai Park,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. Du Plessis made her Black Ferns debut off the bench on 4 November 2020 against the New Zealand Barbarians in West Auckland. She started in the second match.

2021–22

In 2021, she was selected for the

squad for the inaugural season of Super Rugby Aupiki in 2022. Du Plessis was named in the Black Ferns squad for the

2022 Pacific Four Series The 2022 Pacific Four Series was the second edition of the Pacific Four Series. The competition was hosted by New Zealand from 6 to 18 June. Matches were played at two of the venues which will host the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup – The Trusts ...

. She made her international debut for the Black Ferns on 12 June 2022 against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in West Auckland. She was reselected in the squad for the August test series against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

for the Laurie O'Reilly Cup. Du Plessis was selected for the Black Ferns

32-player squad. New Zealand won their sixth World title after narrowly beating England 34–31 in the final.

2023

Du Plessis returned for her second season with Matatū for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki competition. On 8 July, she scored a brace of tries in the Black Ferns 21–52 victory over

at the Pacific Four Series in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

References

External links

Black Ferns Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:du Plessis, Amy 1999 births Living people New Zealand female rugby union players New Zealand women's international rugby union players South African emigrants Immigrants to New Zealand