Chelsea Bremner signs with Waitomo Chiefs Manawa
The Chiefs Rugby Club today announced the signing of Chelsea Bremner for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season. The talented lock, who was a key part of the Black Ferns World Cup winning team, transfers from Matatū to the Waitomo Chiefs Manawa for the upcoming season.
The 27-year-old has had multiple outstanding Farah Palmer Cup campaigns, with five titles as part of the Canterbury side, and was named the clubs Player of the Year in 2019. This form in 2019 saw her named in the New Zealand Development XV squad that travelled to Fiji.
Bremner made her Black Ferns debut in 2022 against Australia alongside her younger sister, Alana, and has already notched up 10 caps in this short time. Her impressive performances in the black jersey during Rugby World Cup have solidified her place at this level.
Waitomo Chiefs Manawa Head Coach Crystal Kaua stated that Bremner has been the stand-out lock in New Zealand in 2022.
“Chelsea is a massive signing for the Manawa, she is the ultimate professional. She’s self-driven, a hungry learner, and athletic. She wants to push the game forward and is willing to be creative and innovative to do that. She is decisive as a player, she sees something and does it, that’s the piece about her we like the most. Her ability at the set piece is crucial for Waitomo Chiefs Manawa and will allow us to continue to push the game forward in those spaces.”
Initially, Bremner was set on netball for her sporting career before making the switch to rugby in 2015. Since then, she has played with her sister from club level through to Rugby World Cup. In 2023 the Bremner sisters will play on opposite sides for the first time in their rugby careers during the Sky Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
Bremner said of her signing, “I’m really excited to be joining the Waitomo Chiefs Manawa squad for 2023. They have created a strong culture in a short time, and I look forward to playing with this amazing group of wahine.”
Outside of rugby, Bremner teaches an intermediate class at Hornby High School. However, she has taken a year of unpaid leave from teaching to prepare and play in the Rugby World Cup.
The Waitomo Chiefs Manawa season will kick off on Saturday 25 February against the Hurricanes Poua in
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