Lavinia Gould

Lavinia Gould

Personal information
Born	(1981-03-15) 15 March 1981 (age 43) Whakatāne, New Zealand
Height	162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	66 kg (10 st 6 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position	Hooker, Lock
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2018– Brisbane Broncos 19 2 0 0 8
Rugby union
Position	Flyhalf, Inside centre, Flanker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2018–19 Queensland Reds 15 3 13 0 44 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2000–15 New Zealand 7s New Zealand
Source: RLP As of 10 March 2022

Lavinia Gould (born 15 March 1983) is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who plays for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL Women's Premiership.

A hooker in rugby league and a flyhalf in rugby union, she is a former New Zealand and New Zealand sevens representative and previously played for the Queensland Reds in the Super W.

Playing career

Rugby union

Born in Whakatāne, Gould played provincial rugby union for Bay of Plenty and Wellington. ^[1] In 2000, at 17-years old, she was a member of the first official New Zealand women's sevens team, who took part in the 2000 Hong Kong Sevens. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

On 9 November 2013, she was suspended for two years by the IRB following a positive drug test after the 2012 Dubai Women's Sevens. Gould tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA), which was found in a dietary supplement she used during the tournament. ^[5]

In May 2015, she returned from her ban and represented the New Zealand sevens team at the 2014–15 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

In 2018, Gould joined the Queensland Reds in the Super W competition. On 20 April 2018, she was named Player of the Final in the Reds' 13–16 loss to the New South Wales Waratahs. ^{[9] [10]}

Rugby league

On 10 August 2018, Gould signed with the Brisbane Broncos NRL Women's Premiership team. ^[11] On 3 September 2018, she played her first game of rugby league in the Broncos' pre-season trial win over Papua New Guinea. ^[12]

In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Broncos' in their 30–4 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons. On 30 September 2018, she came off the bench and scored a try in the Broncos' 34–12 Grand Final win over the Sydney Roosters. ^[13] On 12 October 2018, she was named in the New Zealand squad for their Test match against Australian Jillaroos but did not play. ^[14]

In 2019, she joined the Wests Panthers in the QRL Women's Premiership. ^[15] In June 2019, she was 19th player for the Queensland State of Origin team. ^[16] On 6 October 2019, she started at hooker and scored a try in the Broncos' 30–6 Grand Final win over the Dragons. ^[17] On 11 October 2019, she was named in New Zealand's Test team but later withdrew for personal reasons. ^[18]

In 2020, Gould played the first two games of the 2020 NRL Women's season for the Broncos. She suffered a leg injury in their Round 2 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons, forcing her to miss the rest of the season and, subsequently, the club's Grand Final win over the Roosters. ^{[19] [20]}

In 2023, Gould's daughter suffered complications during heart surgery and was put in a medically induced coma. Gould took leave from the Broncos during the 2023 NRL Women's season to support her daughter.

References

1. "NZ Sevens star cops two-year drugs ban". ESPN. 8 November 2013.
2. "2000 New Zealand Women's sevens team - Where Are They Now?". All Blacks. 17 April 2020.
3. "Confirmation of the New Zealand squads for Hong Kong Sevens". Sportcal. 20 March 2000.
4. "Looking back: Black Ferns Sevens in Hong Kong (2000)". allblacks.com. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
5. "New Zealand women's sevens star cops drug ban". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 November 2013.
6. "Lavinia Gould back in the NZ Sevens Team". Teao Maori. 7 May 2015.
7. "Sevens player puts ban behind her as she aims for Olympic spot". The New Zealand Herald . 4 March 2015.
8. "Mental drive kept Lavinia Gould on sevens track during doping ban". Stuff.co.nz. 8 May 2015.
9. "Queensland name team for final". rugby.com.au. 18 April 2018.
10. "NSW women snatch epic Super W final". rugby.com.au. 20 April 2018.
11. "A New Era Dawns For Broncos". Brisbane Broncos. 10 August 2018.
12. "Why rugby star Gould said yes to Brisbane". NRL. 20 September 2018.
13. "Broncos claim first NRLW title with GF win over Roosters". Fox Sports Australia. 30 September 2018.
14. "Big Warriors presence in Kiwi Ferns". NZ Warriors. 2 October 2018.
15. "SEQ Women's Division 1 final ready for kick off". QRL. 31 July 2019.
16. "Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons squad update". QRL. 19 June 2019.
17. "NRLW grand final: Broncos player ratings". NRL. 6 October 2019.
18. "Jillaroos v Kiwi Ferns: Nines upset adds intrigue". NRL. 25 October 2019.
19. "Broncos Shuffle Pack For Roosters Showdown". Brisbane Broncos. 13 October 2020.
20. "Hall returns for NRLW Grand Final". Brisbane Broncos. 20 October 2020.

External links

• Brisbane Broncos profile