Kara-Mai Herbst has been selected for the New Zealand under-20 women’s rugby development camp in Wellington.
The 50-player squad will assemble at the New Zealand Institute of Sport for the four-day camp starting today.
Herbst said it was "surreal" to be selected."
"It was pretty amazing getting the call."
The 20-year-old was looking forward to soaking up as much knowledge from the coaches and other players as she could.
Herbst goes into the camp in a relatively unusual position having not played rugby in New Zealand in more than a year.
She flew to England at the end of 2024 to play for the Henley Hawks, a club based in Henley-On-Thames, about 60km west of London.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, she said.
"I know it’s going to sound a bit corny but I learned lots about myself.
"I’m a pretty shy person so when I had to move overseas by myself, it was a big confidence builder.
"The level I was playing at was definitely a good step up so I gained so much experience and also I was getting to travel as well and experience the world."
There were plenty of differences on the field, she said.
"It’s kind of well known that the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere play different rugby.
"There’s also a lot more women playing rugby in the UK so there was definitely a bigger rugby scene which was really nice getting to play lots of different teams."
Just as she thought her overseas rugby journey was over once the English season ended, another opportunity presented itself.
Herbst was invited to play for the Penguins International Rugby Football Club.
The club puts together invitational teams of players from all over the world for tours against other club sides.
Herbst played a game against an Italian club as part of a four-day tour.
"I never would’ve thought I’d get the chance to do something like that," she said.
"I was so, so grateful to meet so many people, men and women, that play really high levels and you meet people from all different backgrounds and playing experiences, different age groups, and we had a really fun time."
The opportunity came about all from a Facebook post she made.
"I moved to Canada for the summer so I was wondering if there were any clubs that would like to have another rugby player, and I got this message through this post saying they would like to get some more people and I looked like a good fit.
"It was as simple as that."
Looking to the future, Herbst said she had goals but not plans.
"From travelling, I’ve learned to be a bit more open and spontaneous.
"I just want to get through this under-20 camp and kind of take it from there."
