Brazil’s Thalia Costa: ‘When I started playing, my family had no idea what rugby was’

She’s the diminutive winger who has become a rugby giant. 

From a country of more than 200 million people, where rugby is trying to cut through the football noise, Thalia Costa has emerged as a superstar of sevens – and made history along the way. 

She is already the first Brazilian player to score 100 tries in HSBC SVNS. She has been recognised as the country’s best rugby player by its national Olympic Committee. 

And, after lighting up stadiums around the world with her scoring ability and defensive prowess, Costa can now add another accolade to that growing list. 

She is the first woman from an emerging nation to be nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year since Dutchwoman Kelly van Harskamp in 2013.

Van Harskamp had been named the then-IRB Sevens Player of the Year two years earlier, in 2011, but France’s Anne-Cecile Ciofani is the only player outside of New Zealand or Australia to have won the award since the full inception of the women’s series in 2012-13. 

Costa is in a tough field for this year’s title – New Zealand’s Jorja Miller and Australia’s Maddison Levi, last year’s winner, are also on the list.

It’s a measure of the player Costa has become that the news has been roundly applauded and greeted with total delight among the Brazilian rugby fraternity. It’s also richly deserved. 

She is the third-most prolific try scorer this HSBC SVNS season, behind Levi and Michaela Brake, with 29. And, she made more try-saving tackles than any player, most notably against Australia in Vancouver to record a famous Brazilian victory. 

Costa recognises the enormity of what she has achieved since making her debut in 2019.

“Being mentioned alongside these players is a confirmation of my growth within the sport,” she said. “Being compared to such great athletes — especially phenomenal players — is an honour and makes me very proud of the journey I’ve built so far.”

It’s a long way from the city of Sao Luis in Brazil’s North Eastern state of Maranhão where Costa was born. 

She and her twin sister Thalita, also a member of Brazil’s sevens team, lived in the Coroadinho favela, the eighth largest in the country with more than 50,000 residents. Costa, who stresses she’s two minutes older than her twin, says they were always sporty. 

“We used to play in the street near our house while our mother was working. 

“One day, a physical education teacher saw us running and invited us to join an athletics team. I was always fast,” she adds. 

In football-mad Brazil, her interest in rugby was initially a bit of a conundrum for her family. 

“When I started playing rugby my family had no idea what the sport was. 

“Today, they fully understand the game and never miss a match, they’re always following along, sending positive energy, and even suggesting where I could improve. But they’ve never had the chance to watch one of my games in the stadium.”

Athletics and volleyball were where she excelled initially, and she still loves watching volleyball in her downtime. 

But when Costa was invited to join the Delta rugby club in the state of Piau she quickly stood out, was rapidly spotted and invited to join the Brazilian national team and their permanent squad São Paulo. 

“When I moved to São Paulo and dedicated myself fully to rugby, I had the opportunity to really develop in the sport. I improved my physical conditioning, my game vision, and my technical and tactical skills. But it didn’t happen overnight; it was a hard process that required a lot of dedication.”

In a few years, Costa has become more than just a finisher, she is the linchpin of the Yaras, as the Brazilian team are known. 

Nowadays you’ll see her sniffing around a ruck, playing a more central role, busy and involved, looking for work. It’s not uncommon to see her run 30 or 40 metres laterally, knowing she has the pace to take any gap that opens up while equally looking to put a big shot on in defence. 

She says that’s where she’s made the biggest strides in the past two seasons. 

“Before, I saw myself as a fast player who would grab the ball and just run. Today, I still see myself as a speedy athlete, but I’ve developed a lot in tackling, have a better vision of the game, and have strong skills both with and without the ball. 

“Competing in the HSBC SVNS has contributed immensely to my development and to the evolution of the entire Brazilian team.”

Sevens for many of the Brazilian players is a path to a different life, opening up opportunities for travel, study and developing language skills. 

Every player who has moved to the central base in São Paulo is either studying or has completed their degree, while many of the national squad live together in accommodation provided by the union and university. Costa is finishing her degree in physiotherapy. 

“What I love about rugby is the unity and the sense of togetherness. Our team is a family both on and off the field and I get to live this dream daily while being able to support my family back in Maranhão.” 

Despite Costa’s best efforts, Brazil narrowly missed out on confirming a top eight finish on the series this season and will be in the playoff tournament in Los Angeles this weekend. 

When the season finishes – and regardless of how the final voting for Player of the Year shakes out – the Yaras’ flyer will take on a new challenge in the off season when she joins the Mie Pearls in Japan. 

There, she’ll team up with New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini, among others. It is the sort of situation many sevens observers have hoped to see Costa in; a chance to play with some of the greats of the game. 

“The opportunity came through our national team coach, Crystal Kaua and I hope to make the most of this experience to continue growing as an athlete, and also to learn from and enjoy a culture that’s very different from mine. I want to help the club fight for titles.”

On and off the field, Costa continues to make the most of every opportunity thrown her way.

“It’s special because it allows us to experience dreams and achievements together. We can grow and evolve by always supporting each other,” she said.

“My goals are to take Brazilian rugby to the highest level and to make more people interested in this wonderful sport … and why not aim to reach the podium at a World Series event and finish among the top five teams at the Olympic Games?” 

Who’d bet against Thalia Costa, standing tall and taking Brazilian rugby to the world?