Former Black Fern Charmaine Smith is making a shock return to rugby two years after retiring from the game due to injury.
The former North Harbour and Auckland player had initially retired from the game in early 2020 with a disc issue in her neck.
She moved on with life, and just four months ago gave birth to her daughter Amiria.
Eight days later, she got a scan on her neck and was cleared to begin playing again.
"I held hope but they weren't very optimistic at my first scan I had...they said it may stay like that forever," Smith said.
"I like to say my baby healed me."
The Dargaville-based police officer was back in training on Saturday for the first time in two years, turning out for the Blues outfit three weeks before the start of the inaugural women's Super Rugby Aupiki.
That competition is under a speculative cloud thanks to the Omicron outbreak, but at this stage the Blues are scheduled to open the new competition against Chiefs Manawa in just three weeks.
Charmaine Smith will be hoping her comeback is complete.
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