Emoni Narawa: a try on his Test debut, four Tests unbeaten and a full-time match-winner at Ellis Park

Emoni Narawa has scored in two of his four Tests for the All Blacks, including his debut, and the All Blacks have won all four. The Fijian-born wing has also scored in a Super Rugby final for the Chiefs. On 6 September 2025 he crossed in the second minute against South Africa at Eden Park, Auckland, before broken ribs and a punctured lung ended his night and his year. He came back to sign with New Zealand Rugby until 2029, and on 25 August 2026 scored twice, including the winning try, against the Lions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. This is the story of a fast man who has had to be patient.

From Suva to Hamilton

Emoni Rokomoce Narawa was born in Suva, Fiji, on 13 July 1999. Wikipedia lists him as a former pupil of Queen Victoria School, the Fijian boarding school, and the Chiefs' profile records that he came to New Zealand to attend Hamilton Boys' High School on a scholarship. They are the same two schools Sevu Reece attended on his way to the All Blacks.

Narawa played for the Chiefs Under 18s, and after school he headed east to the Bay of Plenty, where NZ Rugby lists him with the Tauranga Sports club.

Bay of Plenty

Narawa made his first-class debut for Bay of Plenty in 2018, aged 19, under coach Clayton McMillan, who would later coach him at the Chiefs. He scored in his first season, and kept scoring: the NZ Rugby Museum's profile on stats.allblacks.com counted 24 tries in 37 games for the Steamers by 2023, and Wikipedia credits him with 153 points from 50 games by August 2025.

The biggest provincial day came on 26 October 2024, in the NPC final against Wellington at Sky Stadium. Playing at outside centre, Narawa scored Bay of Plenty's second try in the 58th minute, but Wellington won 23-20. He was named in the Steamers' squad again for 2026.

Blues, then Chiefs

His first Super Rugby home was the Blues, in 2020 and 2021, where he made seven appearances. In 2022 he moved to the Chiefs, playing at fullback or on the wing and scoring five tries in nine games, according to the Museum.

The Museum credits off-season work for what came next. In 2023 he became a regular starter in a Chiefs side whose attacking approach, the Museum notes, gave him plenty of chances to use his speed, and it describes him as "one of the fastest players with the ball in hand". The Chiefs reached the final, against the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, on 24 June 2023. Narawa started on the right wing and scored the Chiefs' second try, three minutes after half-time, though the Crusaders won 25-20.

He started on the right wing in the next two finals as well, against the Blues at Eden Park on 22 June 2024 and the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, on 21 June 2025.

A dream debut

His 2023 form earned a call into the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship, and he made his debut against Argentina at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza on 8 July 2023. Starting on the right wing, he had a hand in two early tries and scored the All Blacks' last in a 41-12 win, becoming All Black number 1208. allblacks.com reported that he made a team-high 79 running metres and 11 tackles. "It was quite special like a dream come true running out of the tunnel," he said.

That night also brought the first of his setbacks. He hurt his back in the Mendoza Test, according to Planet Rugby, and although he was named in the 33-man squad for the 2023 World Cup in France, he jarred it again at training and was ruled out of the tournament before it began. "In the Twickenham week, he ran his fastest time of the year," coach Ian Foster said, calling it "incredibly sad".

Back in black

Narawa's second Test came against Fiji, the country of his birth, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on 19 July 2024. He came off the bench in a 47-5 win, with Reece starting on the right wing.

In 2025 he started against France at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on 12 July 2025, a 43-17 win, and was then picked on the right wing for the Rugby Championship Test against South Africa at Eden Park on 6 September 2025, Ardie Savea's 100th Test. In the second minute Beauden Barrett kicked across field, Narawa slipped as he took the ball, and still had a clear run to the line. Minutes later he collided with a Springbok under a high ball and had to leave the field. He had broken ribs, 1News later reported, and one had punctured a lung. The All Blacks held on to win 24-17, extending their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 51 matches.

The road back

Narawa returned for the Chiefs against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, on 21 February 2026. It was his 50th Super Rugby game for the club, and the Chiefs won 26-23. He scored against the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato on 28 February 2026 and against Moana Pasifika at the same ground on 6 March 2026, a 57-24 win.

On 25 March 2026 the Chiefs announced that he had re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the club until the end of 2029. Head coach Jono Gibbes said there had been considerable interest from overseas, and called the decision "a terrific endorsement of what we are doing at the club". Narawa said the chance of a World Cup place had driven his choice: "It's still a massive dream of mine to play for the All Blacks."

More injuries followed. 1News reported that he broke a foot on his return to the Chiefs, which cost him four months, and that he had also recovered from a wrist injury. Even so, when Dave Rennie named a 44-man squad for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa on 26 July 2026, Narawa was in it. "I'm just really blessed and grateful to be back in the squad," he told 1News.

Ellis Park

On tour he played three of the franchise matches: the 54-0 win over the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium, Durban, on 11 August 2026, the 50-19 win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, on 15 August 2026, and the match against the Lions at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on 25 August 2026.

NZ Rugby's statistics list the Lions match as his highest-scoring game in black. Playing on the left wing, he ran from the base of a ruck in the 10th minute, beat two defenders and put Noah Hotham in for a try. In the 24th minute he finished a move that started on the All Blacks' own line. The Lions led 35-17 early in the second half, but the All Blacks fought back, and at full time, after two crucial scrums and a carry by Peter Lakai, the ball reached Narawa, who cut back past four cover defenders to score the winning try. The All Blacks won 41-35, their fifth win from five matches in South Africa on the tour. allblacks.com headed that part of its match report "Emoni Narawa impresses on the left wing".

Style and standing

The Museum calls him one of the fastest players with the ball in hand, and credits him with complementing the skills of the players inside him. 1News described him in July 2026 as "a pacey and elusive runner" who can also play fullback. His Test record reads four Tests, four wins and two tries, with two more tries in his three tour matches.

Where he is now

Narawa was not in Rennie's 36-man squad for the November 2026 northern tour, named on 26 October 2026. He is contracted to the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2029, and turned 27 in July 2026. With the 2027 World Cup in Australia ahead, he has made his ambition plain: to wear the black jersey again.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data and stats.allblacks.com. Other figures are from Wikipedia, the Chiefs and the NZ Rugby Museum.