The initial words that Piper Duck heard after injuring her shoulder in March were a hard blow: “You won’t play in the World Cup”.
The Australian rugby national team player has traveled a long and exhausting road to reach the world competition, facing a series of devastating injuries in the last two years, the most recent of which almost left her out of the tournament completely.
Duck, who suffered the injury playing for the New South Wales Waratahs in the semi-final of the Women’s Super Rugby earlier this year, thought her World Cup dream was over. Weeks after injuring her left shoulder in the pre-season, which ruled her out of the first match of the year, she received another heavy blow that completely tore the acromioclavicular joint of her right shoulder.
This was a tough blow for the 24-year-old athlete, who had already battled a foot injury in 2023, which prevented her from captaining her team despite having been named leader by then-coach Jay Tregonning. Subsequently, she missed the Wallaroos’ tour of Ireland and Wales, as well as the WXV2 tournament at the end of 2024, due to an ankle operation.
To be able to play in 2025, he received cortisone injections in each shoulder.
But after such a long and hard battle, Duck was not willing to give up so easily. Instead, after consulting with surgeons and the team doctor, she had to make a decision: have surgery now and miss the World Cup, or undergo intensive rehabilitation for several months and make a final effort to be selected during the team’s last test matches in July.
One of the first conversations I had with the doctor was that you wouldn’t play in the World Cup. That was one of my first conversations.
Duck
Duck commented before the start of the tournament: “It was quite shocking to hear that at that moment, but I spoke with some people, got some opinions, and then went to see a surgeon.”Piper Duck de las Wallaroos es tacleadaAfter a posterior dislocation, Duck strived to the maximum, determined to wear the Wallaroos jersey in her last World Cup trials. Twelve weeks later, she lined up for the Australia A team against Samoa, before participating from the bench with the Wallaroos against New Zealand and Wales, and starting in the team’s last match in Sydney.
Given her long list of injuries, the third-line player almost covers herself in tape from head to toe when she goes out on the field, with both shoulders bandaged with pads to protect her joints. And although going to the gym is common for athletes, especially when returning from an injury, Duck knew that she also had to overcome a mental aspect of recovery.
“Actually, I spoke with a sports psychologist,” Duck said. “I knew my mental block was going to be carrying, because that’s how I got injured.”
“Honestly, I didn’t feel confident about my shoulder until I started training properly. Those first contacts, those first hits [were difficult].”Piper Duck de las Wallaroos es tacleada“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any thoughts, but it wasn’t about my shoulder, but rather whether I could play football.
“I know it sounds crazy, but after being away for so long, you wonder if you still have it. Obviously, it’s not something you lose, I understand that, but at that moment I did have that thought.”
“But in training I made sure to run towards the biggest people on the field. I made sure to tackle the biggest person on the team because I needed to know I could do it before going into a real test match to have to do it.”
“Fortunately, everything went very well, but it was quite disheartening. At first it was really disheartening.”
Ruled out of five matches, including four Wallaroos matches, Duck’s participation in the trip to England was not assured, which made her second World Cup call-up even sweeter. Especially when the 32 squad members were informed of their selection.
“Honestly, I was ecstatic,” Duck said when asked about her selection. “I think I verbally screamed when I found out I was going to the World Cup.”
“After the injuries and everything I’ve been through, it was one of those surreal moments. Having the opportunity to attend my second World Cup is absolutely incredible, and after the injuries I’ve had in the last two and a half years, that’s a very special feeling.”
“As you progress in your rugby journey, there are certain things that I realize now that I don’t remember. I remember my last World Cup, I have very special moments, but I don’t really remember that phone call from my last World Cup and I will never forget having that moment in a room with 32 other women hysterically crying and just having that moment together. That moment was really special.”
Duck now prepares to play in the Wallaroos’ first test match against Samoa, with Australia’s World Cup expectations of reaching the quarter-finals depending on a big initial win before facing the United States in the second group match, with a victory against their Pac4 rivals almost ensuring their qualification for the knockout stage.
