Both have Italian roots. Kiara Zago's great-grandparents on her father's side, while Enoé Neri has Sicilian heritage. So, playing in the inaugural edition of the Women's Summer Series in Parma feels a bit like playing at home.
Just a year apart in age (Neri is the eldest) and not yet 20, they are already considered leaders. Center Neri (19) is the captain of her club FC Grenoble Amazones, where she plays alongside Manae Feleu, the captain of the French women's team.
Before moving to Stade Toulousain, second row Zago was the captain of SU Agen, who won the French cadet championship in 2023. That same year, she was crowned U18 European champion and earned the first of her three caps for France at the WXV in New Zealand, where she celebrated her 18th birthday. It's as if she's already lived it all.
“I'm about to turn 19,” Zago tells us. “It's all happened very quickly. When you go from cadet to Elite 1, the highest level in France, it changes in terms of impact, speed, and intensity. And when you go from U20 to the senior French team, it's a little girl's dream. And to reach it so quickly is huge.”
Neri hasn't been called up to the French national team yet, but the way she's been playing in this Women's Summer Series, it's only a matter of months before she is; perhaps for the WXV in Canada in September, and certainly for the next Guinness Women's Six Nations tournament in 2025.
In the meantime, she enjoys wearing the U20 shirt. “It's a source of pride,” she confesses. “It was basically a childhood dream. The more I grew up, the more it became an ambition. And ambition is achievable. It shows I haven't played rugby for ten years for nothing and I haven't sacrificed for nothing. Hard work pays off. It's a source of pride and recognition to wear the France jersey today.”
The two youngsters have been playing rugby for most of their lives. “I started playing when I was 10, when I started secondary school, after ten years of dancing. For two years, I switched between dancing and rugby. My dad was a number 8, and he was the one who inspired me to play rugby,” says Zago. Her mother likes to recall that after giving birth to her daughter on a Tuesday, she took her to the stadium the following Sunday.
Enoé started at an even younger age. “I started playing rugby at the age of eight with the La Mure club, RC Matheysin. I moved to Grenoble in 2019 to play with the women's team because, from the age of 15, that was the requirement,” she said. Today, she is captain of the senior team.
“When the coach asked me to be captain of the Amazones, I was very reluctant. I asked myself a lot of questions because I didn't feel I had the qualifications to be in that position. I was one of the youngest. But the staff trusted me, and so did the team. I'm the captain, but all the other internationals in the French team are very supportive, and I get a lot of help. I'm surrounded by three or four leaders who really help me.”
In this environment, they have the chance to train and develop alongside those they admire.
For Enoé, it's centre Gabrielle Vernier. “She's pretty much the complete player and very strong at the moment. I try to follow her example. I think she's one of the most complete players I know,” she says. “Gaëlle Hermet is a bit like my mentor; she plays with me at the Stade. I play with her and she guides me everywhere,” Kiara points out.
In Parma, Enoé is vice-captain to skipper Zoé Jean. She and Kiara wasted no time in making their mark on the Women's Summer Series, each scoring a try against Wales on the opening day. “It was the first time I'd scored in the blue jersey. It was a great try. I don't score very often. But I was pretty banged up after that,” laughs Zago.
“We are up against some strong teams. Playing in a tournament like this helps to promote women's rugby, to raise our profile, to show that there are U18 and U20 teams in France that can win and take the victories home.”
“It's a good idea to have organised this tournament, first and foremost to develop women's rugby around the world,” adds Enoé. “For the future, to reach the highest level, it is a really good idea to go through the U20s and this Women's Summer Series. It's at these tournaments that you discover the great players.”
And they are there, even if they are aware of the progress they still have to make. “As far as I'm concerned, the things I need to improve are my attitude to contact and staying on my feet. I'm tall, which has its advantages and disadvantages. It's not always easy to be low enough in the breakdowns. I'm working on that. Otherwise, I love lineouts, I love defending,” Zago explains.
“I've got a bit of vision, but I've got a lot of things to improve on. Especially physically, because there are times when I feel I'm struggling at a high level. I've still got room for improvement when it comes to sequencing tasks,” allows Neri.
The duo are still studying: Zago in her first year of a physiotherapy degree in Toulouse, while Neri is in her first year of nursing in Grenoble.
After another convincing win in the Women's Summer Series on Wednesday, this time against Scotland, and in which both featured heavily, don't bet against the pair being at the heart of the action in Sunday's Le Crunch against England.
France play their final match of the Women's Summer Series this Sunday against England (20:00 BST). Watch all the games live on our YouTube channel.
