Renee Holmes was one of the standouts of the 2020 Farah Palmer Cup, her fast rise matched by the speed at which she can carve up opposition defensive lines from the back.
The Waikato fullback has packed much into her young career thus far. For starters, she has already represented nationally in three sports – frisbee, football and taekwondo – and has designs on a fourth.
Originally from Gisborne, Holmes played for the Hawke’s Bay Tui and Bay of Plenty Volcanix before a shift to Waikato for her Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance studies in 2019. She promptly won the Waikato player of the year award for her work at halfback and first five before turning heads at the Ignite Sevens.
In 2020, she shifted to fullback and enjoyed the freewheeling style of the Waikato backline, scoring two tries in her eight games as Waikato reached the FPC final.
Holmes debuted for the Chiefs Manawa during their inaugural match in 2021 before making the shift south to play for Matatū in Sky Super Rugby Aupiki.
She made her Black Ferns debut against England in Exeter in 2021 and was a member of the Black Ferns victorious Rugby World Cup 2021 squad.
