Biola Dawa
| Date of birth | 5 November 2000[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biola Dawa (born 5 November 2000) is an Australian rugby union player who plays as a wing for ACT Brumbies Women and Australia women's national rugby union team.
Early life
[edit]Her parents Agnes and Samson were farmers from the South Sudan village of Kajo Keji. They fled from there in the late 1990s during the Sudanese civil War. She was born in a refugee camp in the Ugandan town of Moyo before they met up with family in Wagga. She has siblings Betty, James, Juma, Amos and Emmanuel. She played numerous sports once settled in Wagga, and an early teammate was future fellow Australian rugby union international Piper Duck.[3]
Club career
[edit]She began her rugby union career playing for the Wagga Reddies.[4] In 2019, she was selected by ACT Brumbies Women to play in the Super Rugby Women's.[5][6]
International career
[edit]In July 2024, Dawa became the first person of Sudanese heritage to play for Australia in Test rugby, male or female, when she made her debut for the Wallaroos against Fiji in Sydney.[7][8] She received praise for the start of her international career after her second appearance the following week against New Zealand.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Biola Dawa". Wallaroos.rugby. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Biola Dawa". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Payten, Iain (13 July 2024). "Biola Dawa was born in a refugee camp in Uganda. Now she plays rugby for Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Sinclair, Tahlia (30 April 2024). "From Wagga to the Wallaroos, Dawa on 'surreal' national squad selection". Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Rees, Courtney (17 January 2019). "Harriet Elleman and Biola Dawa selected in the final Brumbies Super W squad". Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Super W: Brumbies finalise 2019 changes". Rugby.com.au. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Morton, Finn (4 July 2024). "Coach Jo Yapp names four debutants in Wallaroos side to play Fijiana". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Sinclair, Tahlia (15 July 2024). "Dawa's tasted rugby in green and gold, now she'll do everything she can to stay". Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Grey, Lachlan (15 July 2024). "'She's awesome': Black Fern's high praise for rookie Wallaroos winger". Rugby.com.au. Retrieved 16 July 2024.