Risealeaana Pouri-Lane

Risealeaana "Risi" Pouri-Lane (born 28 May 2000) is a New Zealand rugby union and sevens player. She captained the 2018 Youth Olympics squad that won gold in Buenos Aires. She also won gold medals with the Black Ferns sevens team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics.

She is the only New Zealander to have won a gold medal at both a youth and summer Olympics. (Her 2024 Olympic team-mate Jazmin Hotham was selected for the 2018 Youth Olympics but was ruled out through injury.) She made her international debut for the Black Ferns fifteens in 2025.

Early life Pouri-Lane was born on 28 May 2000 in Auburn, Sydney, Australia, to New Zealanders Lealofi and Kevin Pouri-Lane.

At the age of five she began judo and went on to win several national age group competitions. She represented New Zealand at the 2016 judo Oceania championships. Aged 17, she was the youngest fully-contracted player.

She took time away from the senior team to captain the New Zealand sevens team which won gold at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October 2018.

2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Just prior to departure for their pre-camp on the Sunshine Coast for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Kat Whata-Simpkins suffered a hamstring injury, which resulted first in Pouri-Lane being added to the travelling team. When it was confirmed that Whata-Simpkins would not recover in time for the tournament, Tenika Willison was promoted to the initial 12. Alena Saili was made a travelling reserve or 13th player with Pouri-Lane staying on as another reserve. After injuries to other players in the warm-up to the final against Australia, Pouri-Lane was promoted to the playing 12, and came on in the last moments of the game to assist the team in winning the gold medal.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games She was selected for the New Zealand Women's Rugby Sevens team for the Tokyo Olympics which went on to win the gold medal. and won a bronze medal at the event. She later won a silver medal at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.

2022–23 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series After captain Sarah Hirini became unable to finish the 2023–24 World Rugby SVNS Series after rupturing a anterior cruciate ligament in the second game of the first tournament of the season in Dubai on 2–3 December, Pouri-Lane took over the captaincy of the Black Ferns for the remainder of the season, and led them to winning the Sevens league title.

2024 Paris Olympics On 20 June 2024, it was announced that she had been selected as a member of the New Zealand Women's Rugby Sevens team for the Paris Olympics. When Sarah Hirini returned to the team after recovering from injury, it was decided that Hirini and Pouri-Lane would co-captain the team. The team won the gold medal, defeating Canada 19–12 in the final.

In February 2026 Pouri-Lane re-signed with New Zealand Rugby through to the Olympics in 2028.

She scored her 70th sevens try in the final against Australia in Perth 2026.

Fifteens Pouri-Lane made her test debut for the Black Ferns on 24 May 2025 at Albany, New Zealand against the United States in the final match of the Pacific Four Series. Later in July, she was named in the Black Ferns squad to the Women's Rugby World Cup.

At the rugby she played in seven matches, scoring a try against Japan.

Personal life Pouri-Lane is of Samoan and Māori descent and affiliates to the Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāi Tahu iwi.