Vanessa Cootes

Vanessa Cootes (born 26 July 1969) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. She played for at an international level and for Waikato provincially. She was a member of the Black Ferns 1998 and 2002 Rugby World Cup Champion squads.

Rugby career
Cootes was part of the 1998 Rugby World Cup champion squad, she scored four of the Black Ferns eight tries in the final. She also competed at the 2002 Rugby World Cup in Spain.

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. She scored a record nine tries against France in 1996.

She received her Black Ferns cap in 2018.