Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly
New Zealand rugby league player (born 1996)
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Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly (born 6 August 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 August 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 164 cm (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 69 kg (10 st 12 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 30 July 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A five-eighth, fullback and wing, she previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the NRLW and for Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
Background
Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, Stephens-Daly is of Māori descent.[3]
Playing career
Early years
Stephens-Daly started her career playing rugby sevens and rugby union.[4] In 2014, she played for the Waikite rugby union team.[5] She represented the Bay of Plenty Volcanix side from 2015 to 2019, only missing 2018.[6][7] In November 2018, she was named in the New Zealand Maori Ferns train-on squad.[8] In 2019, she played for the Whakarewarewa rugby union side.[9] In 2020, she played for the Upper Central Stallions in the inaugural NZRL National Women's Championship.[4][10] In November 2020, she represented the Kiwi Ferns against the Fetū Samoa invitational side, scoring two tries in the Kiwi Fern's 28-8 victory.[11] In December 2020, she won the Kiwi Ferns Rookie of the Year award.[12] In December 2021, she signed with the Newcastle Knights to be a part of their inaugural NRLW squad.[13]
2022
In February, Stephens-Daly played for the Māori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars,[14] scoring the team's only points with two tries in their 8-18 loss.[15] In round 1 of the delayed 2021 NRL Women's season, she made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Parramatta Eels.[16]
In October, she was selected for the New Zealand squad at the delayed 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup in England.[17]
2023
In March, Stephens-Daly signed played for the Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki. She was one of three final signings confirmed for the side in December 2022.[18]
On 17 May, Stephens-Daly returned to rugby league, signing a two-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.[19]
In Round 3 of the 2023 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Cowboys in their 40–12 loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[20] In Round 5, she tore her ACL in a loss to the Cronulla Sharks, ruling her out for the season.[21]