SARAH Hunter believes Exeter Chiefs’ Maddie Feaunati will bring some Kiwi flair to England’s Rugby World Cup campaign, writes Sportsbeat’s Milly McEvoy.

The back row has risen to prominence since making her Red Roses debut last year, having moved from New Zealand to Devon in 2023.

The 23-year-old was born in Leeds and spent half of her childhood in England as her dad Isaac Fe’aunati represented Leeds Tykes and Bath, but is now making her own name in rugby.

“Maddie Feaunati has come on the scene a little bit later,” former England captain Hunter explained. “She signed for Exeter Chiefs and has come across from New Zealand.

“But she grew up in England when her dad Zak Fe’aunati was playing for Bath and Leeds, so she speaks openly about how she wants to play for England, she grew up with rugby here and started playing rugby here.

“She brings that typical New Zealand way of playing, getting ball in hand early and makes things happen.

“Generally, we will see her in wider spaces, using footwork to beat people, great athletic ability, great pace.

“It adds to the brand of rugby that we want to play, that fast type of game, she has got that skillset, whether she is putting someone else into space.

“It takes a lot for people to run through her as well.”

Feaunati is expected to be named to England’s World Cup squad ahead of the tournament starting in Sunderland on August 22.

Exeter’s Sandy Park will host their first match of the tournament the next day when England take on France, the first of seven matches at the stadium.

Hunter will be involved at the World Cup as England’s defence coach having swapped playing for coaching in 2023.

She was part of the first cohort of the Gallagher High Performance Academy, a World Rugby initiative to increase the number of female coaches in elite rugby.

Hunter was embedded with England for their victorious WXV campaign, and 16 more coaches will get an opportunity to work with their unions at the World Cup.

England’s most-capped player added: “They place you with your union at a tournament, so you can fully embed and put all those learnings into practice.

“Having that opportunity to have that support right from the beginning has been a huge benefit to me.”

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