 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 December 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joanah Ngan-Woo (born 15 December 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays Lock for the Black Ferns and was a member of their 2021 Rugby World Cup champion squad. She plays for Hurricanes Poua in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition and for Wellington provincially.
Ngan-Woo is of Chinese and Samoan descent. [1] Her great-grandfather migrated from China to Samoa. She took up rugby in Year 9 at St Catherine's College in 2009 and was soon promoted to the Oriental Rongotai seniors while still a schoolgirl. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Policy and Education from Victoria University and also completed a Masters in International Relations in 2019. [1] [2]
Ngan-Woo was one of 28 players who were the first to receive a professional contract with the Black Ferns. [3]
Ngan-Woo made her Black Ferns test debut against the United States on 2 July in the Women's Rugby Super Series in San Diego. [4] [5] She later earned her second cap against England. Ngan-Woo scored her first international try against Australia on 10 August at Perth. The Black Ferns thrashed the Wallaroos 47–10. [6]
Ngan-Woo was selected for the Black Ferns 2021 Europe tour, she played in the second test match against England [7] and in the first test match against France. [8]
Ngan-Woo signed with the Hurricanes Poua for the inaugural 2022 season of Super Rugby Aupiki and scored the first ever Hurricanes Poua try against Chiefs Manawa in Hamilton. [9]
Ngan-Woo was named for the Black Ferns squad for the 2022 Pacific Four Series. [10] She was selected again for the two-test series against the Wallaroos for the Laurie O'Reilly Cup in August [11] [12] where she scored tries in both tests.
Ngan-Woo made the Black Ferns 32-player squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup. [13] [14] She became the first ever Black Fern forward to score a first try in a Rugby World Cup. [15] [16] In the World Cup final, she made the winning play as she stole the ball from England's line-out throw. [17] [18]
Ngan-Woo recommitted to Hurricanes Poua for a second season. [19] [20]
