For many, Saturday’s Rugby World Cup opener against Samoa is the start of an exciting journey, but for a group of Wallaroos, it’s the end of a brutal injury journey.
Towards the end of 2024, the NSW Waratahs HQ became the home for a quartet of forwards fighting for their World Cup dreams.
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It started with Adiana Talakai and Emily Chancellor, who both suffered ACL injuries in March 2024.
Waratahs captain Piper Duck would join them on and off before Bri Hoy found herself completing the set after a knee injury training during last year’s WXV competition.
All four find themselves back in the Wallaroos set-up, with prop Hoy the last to complete her return after being named on the bench for the clash in Manchester.
“It’s so special,” co-captain Chancellor said. “Any rehab journey is a big rehab journey, but she's had a really tight timeline on an injury that can happily take a 12-month period.
“So to see Bri work incredibly hard, she's been so determined behind the scenes. Nothing gets in her way, whether it be a hiccup or a setback or an opportunity, she’s just been heads down, driving with a goal of this first game at the World Cup and to get that opportunity, it's huge for her.”
For Duck, the time in and out of the squad gives her a much-needed perspective on the game since her last World Cup appearance.
The back-rower was anointed the Wallaroos captain of the future after her appointment in 2022, but various setbacks have limited her to just five Tests across 2023 and 2024.
“This World Cup now is really more special to me than my first because of that perspective,” she reiterated.
“I think the growth I've had as a player through that time period as well, and as a person, and getting to do it with people like ‘Chancey’ here that I'm now doing my second World Cup with them, that's so special.
“You can't take the value out of that and it means a lot to me to be here.”
Chancellor was feeling the love as she prepares to join an exclusive small group of players to lead Australia at a World Cup.
“I’m so happy and excited. The journey's been so exciting and wild and hilly but I'm really glad that we're here as a team,” she added.
