Black Ferns Sevens skipper Sarah Hirini didn't believe she'd been included in today's Queen's Birthday Honours list - thinking she was being scammed.
Made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Sevens World Cup in 2018, as well as the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2017, Hirini has been recognised for services to rugby.
However, despite her trophy cabinet bulging with honours from her time on the field, Hirini admitted she initially didn't believe the latest recognition in her stellar career.
"I was pretty hesitant about the e-mail 'cause sometimes you get those scam ones and so I got my husband to read over it and he said, 'No, I think it's legitimate', so it was pretty crazy," she told Radio New Zealand.
Guy Heveldt broke down NZ's impressive numbers from San Francisco.
After accepting the news as reality, though, Hirini says she was overjoyed at her induction into the NZOM.
"It's a huge honour - obviously something that I never really thought about or expected at all anywhere in my career," she said. "So to be able to see names in the Order of Merit is pretty special and to be able to tell my husband that I was a part of it was a pretty cool moment for us and also my parents as well and something that we'd never ever thought of as a family."
SHARE ME