Vanessa Cootes (born 26 July 1969) is a former female rugby union winger. She played for New Zealand at an international level and for Waikato provincially.
| Date of birth | 26 July 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cootes was part of the 1998 Rugby World Cup champion squad, she scored four of the Black Ferns eight tries in the final.[1][2] She also competed at the 2002 Rugby World Cup in Spain.[3][4]
Cootes currently holds the Black Ferns record for the most tries scored, with 43 tries in 16 tests, and for the most points and tries scored in a match.[5][4] She scored a record nine tries against France in 1996.[4][5]
Cootes received her Black Ferns cap in 2018.[4]