Rugby player
| Date of birth | (1993-01-08) 8 January 1993 (age 31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kelsie Thwaites (née Wills; born 8 January 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She previously represented New Zealand in beach volleyball before switching to rugby.
Volleyball career
Thwaites completed an indoor volleyball scholarship in the United States, and played professionally in Paris.
Thwaites and playing partner Shaunna Polley represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. They were the nation's first women's beach volleyball team to compete at the Games. The pair won a bronze medal at the Ulsan Open in South Korea on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
Rugby career
Thwaites made a switch to rugby union in 2019. She made the Bay of Plenty Volcanix squad in her debut year for the Farah Palmer Cup. She wore the black jersey for the first time in two non-test matches against the NZ Barbarians in 2020. She made her international debut for the Black Ferns against England on 31 October 2021 at Exeter.
Thwaites was named in the Chiefs Manawa squad for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season.
References
- ^ Macfarlane, Kristin (13 April 2019). "Why Kelsie Wills is focusing on rugby in 2019". NZ Herald. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Chapman, Grant; Chapman, Alex (30 October 2021). "Black Ferns v England: Nine debutants named for 100th test, World Cup final rematch". Newshub. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "First NZ women's beach volleyball team to compete at Commonwealth Games". Stuff.co.nz. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- Standley, Ashley (3 September 2020). "Kiwi beach volleyball star Kelsie Wills' rugby switch pays off". Stuff. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Black Ferns v England: Nine debutants named for 100th test, World Cup final rematch". Newshub. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Black Ferns name four debutants in starting XV for historic test". Otago Daily Times Online News. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Waitomo Chiefs Manawa Squad Announced". Chiefs. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
External links
- Kelsie Wills at the Black Ferns (archive)
- Kelsie Wills at Chiefs Manawa Archived 25 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- Kelsie Wills at FIVB.com
- Kelsie Wills at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
- Kelsie Wills at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (archived)
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- 1993 births
- Living people
- New Zealand women's international rugby union players
- New Zealand women's beach volleyball players
- Beach volleyball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand
- New Zealand female rugby union players
- New Zealand women's volleyball players
- 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen
- New Zealand sportspeople stubs
- Volleyball biography stubs