Calm the farm: The secret behind Waaka's shot at World Cup history

Golden Boot winner Stacey Waaka credits the endless energy that has helped make her one of New Zealand’s greatest athletes to the life balance she gets from raising animals on a farm in Bay of Plenty.

Waaka, who has been a revelation since switching codes to join the Warriors this season, is on the cusp of history if the Kiwi Ferns can end Australia’s 13-year World Cup domination in Sunday’s final at Suncorp Stadium.

A dual Olympic gold medallist, Waaka also won two-time rugby 15s World Cups and was a member of the Black Ferns team that triumphed at the 2018 Sevens World Cup.

If the Kiwi Ferns beat the Jillaroos she could become the first player to win World Cups in both rugby codes and across three variations.

The 30-year-old strike centre was awarded the IRL 2026 Golden Boot after scoring nine tries in four matches for the Kiwi Ferns.

She also leads the tournament for run metres (659) and has produced eight-line breaks and 20 tackle-breaks – all done with a huge smile on her face.

“I am just loving every single moment with this team," Waaka said after being announced as the winner of the 2026 Golden Boot ahead of Jillaroos star Tamika Upton.

"It has probably been one of the favourite campaigns of my career, so it’s a credit to the girls who make it so much fun and keep me smiling.”

Kiwi Ferns team-mates have been feeding off Waaka’s energy but star fullback Apii Nicholls admitted she’d felt the need to ask where it came from.

“She's got such a beautiful soul,” Nicholls said. "She's got the best attitude on the field. She doesn't know how to go 80 per cent, she's always 100 per cent on and off the field.

“She's got so much energy and I remember when I first met her this year, I was just like, ‘how do you get all that energy?’.

“She just said that she's just got so much time on her hands when she's not on the footy pitch, so she's able to reset and fill her cup when she's back at her farm feeding all the animals.”

Waaka grew up on a farm in the remote North Island town of Ruatoki after convincing her family to return from Australia where they had lived until she was nine years-of-age.

She recently moved to a farm in Tauranga and regularly posts on social media about her rural life and tasks like feeding calves, cleaning calf sheds, managing farm dogs or collecting eggs.

A terrifying school bus accident that left 28 students hospitalised and both of Waaka’s legs cut to the bone inspired her passion for sport as the then 15 year-old feared never being able to play again.

Waaka went on to make 199 international appearances for the Black Ferns in both the 15-aside game and sevens.

“I love her, she is just such a great teammate to play alongside,” Nicholls said.

“Sometimes we need a player to change the momentum of the game when it's not going our way and she's one of those players that can definitely do that for us.”

Waaka will be marking up against Jillaroos captain Isabelle Kelly in Sunday’s World Cup final and Australian players are well aware of the threat she poses for the Kiwi Ferns, who have featured in every Women’s World Cup final but have not won since 2008.

Jillaroos secondrower Sariah Paki, who also made the switch from sevens this year to join the Roosters, said the Australian team would be on high alert for Waaka.

“Stacey Waaka is an amazing player. I versed her in many finals over in sevens and I guess we kind of know how we each play so I will definitely tip Izzy up about that,” Paki said.

Team-mates honoured Waaka with a haka after she was presented with the Golden Boot award by mentor Honey Hireme-Smiler, who convinced her to switch codes.

New Zealand coach Ricky Henry said Waaka had made an immediate impact in her first camp with the Kiwi Ferns and her energy and enthusiasm instilled confidence with the team.

“To see Stacey get the Golden Boot award, I was just really proud of her. She has turned up to this camp and given us confidence both on and off the field,” he said.

“She is a wonderful player and just a great person to have around. She has played in some big matches, and she is pretty calm and collected so she brings a different dimension and a lot more confidence.”