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With its long-lasting flowers, the Amarante plant takes its name from the Greek word amarantos. Translated into English, it means undying or everlasting. It’s a plant that grows in Osaka, Japan, and became the inspiration for Semo and Rosalind Sititi when it came to naming the daughter they welcomed intotheir family while the former Manu Samoa captain was playing rugby in the city. As it turns out, it is also a fitting way to describe Amarante Sititi’s approach when she steps on to the rugby field. The 19-year-old has had a big year in 2026, making her Super Rugby Aupiki debut for the championship-winning Blues team, making her mark with her athleticism and work rate, following on from a standout Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) campaign for Auckland in 2025. On Saturday afternoon, Sititi will take the next step in her young rugby career with a potential test debut for the Black Ferns off the bench against the Wallaroos. She will be one of three uncapped players in the line-up, with loose forward Elinor-Plum King starting at openside flanker and explosive outside back Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a also on the bench. “Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to become a Black Fern. Watching some of the women who are in the team now playing on the screen and playing alongside them is such an honour and a blessing to be able to be in this space,” Sititi said. After her strong campaign in Aupiki, it was perhaps not a surprise to see the young star selected in Whitney Hansen’s squad for the Black Ferns’ end-of-year tour. Hansen noted this week that Sititi’s combination of athleticism and coachability had her well poised to do special things in the game. It did, however, come as a surprise to most – including the player herself – to see she had been selected as a lock rather than a loose forward, where she generally plays. “I was really shocked that I was here as a lock,” Sititi said. “But it’s a good opportunity to grow my skills and become a versatile player. I think it was just a good opportunity to be in a different position on the field.” Asked how much she had played at lock, Sititi admitted it was “not much” but said she was getting a feel for the position and suggested the position required more work than a loose forward – something she would be sharing with her brother and All Blacks loose forward Wallace. While Sititi was enjoying immersing herself in the Black Ferns environment for the first time, it was a little bit different for Tuliau-Tua’a. Tuliau-Tua’a, also 19, found herself called into Black Ferns camp before having played a single minute of Aupiki when she was part of the Pacific Four (Pac 4) series squad earlier in the year. The call came on the back of a quality FPC campaign on the wing for Waikato in 2025. She was, however, called into that group having had it made very clear that she would not be playing in any of the three tests. “I did get itchy feet, definitely, going overseas playing rugby, but just going over there was such a privilege because I hadn’t played Aupiki and anything, so just being in that environment professionally, it was really cool,” she said. “I got really fit, lots of game replacements, but it was good. It helped me; just all the knowledge that I got from being in amongst the experience of the outsides really helped me going into Aupiki.” After a solid Aupiki campaign individually, she finds herself back in the squad – this time as a playing member. “She came away on tour with us last time to Pac 4,” said Hansen, “and she knew she wasn’t going to play unless we had an injury in that space. That was about learning to be professional, learning to be on tour, and she soaked that up and took every opportunity she could.