Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini in action at the Sevens World Cup. Photo / Photosport
Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini in action at the Sevens World Cup. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
In 2019, I commentated at the Central Sevens tournament. It was hosted by the Horowhenua Kāpiti Union, who for the first time fielded a women's team.
The highlight of my day was seeing Hinekura Connor-Phillips fall back in love with the game. She'd been a star early for thefamous Feilding Girls' High and then life had got in the way. Connor-Phillips' return for the homeside felt like the beginning of something special, both for her and for women's rugby in this region.
None of us knew then that it would be the last time this tournament was played. The 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid and the 2021 season went the same way. Now it's 2022, but provincial sevens remains a question mark.
Since the last Olympics, New Zealand has lost Ruby Tui to XVs and Gayle Broughton to the NRLW. Sarah Hirini has given 10-plus years of service to this punishing game alongside Portia Woodman, Tyla Nathan-Wong and Kelly Brazier. These players have won World Series, World Cups and gold medals so surely must be thinking about what else life has to offer.
Their boots are big ones to fill but the talent coming through is now primarily from our high schools. While regional and national sevens have disappeared at the senior grade, the Condor college tournament still ticks over. It's fantastic to see these young athletes given a career in rugby straight out of high school but we can't expect all talent to emerge and be fully realised by age 18.
It's a worry that this infrastructure, which was once the envy of fifteens players, could disappear so quickly. It speaks to the tenuous nature of women's programmes across codes and countries, that we saw rocked as the pandemic took hold. Some have rebounded to higher heights such as the historic scenes in UK Football but others, like our Black Ferns Sevens programme, have lost their sparkle. The Cinderella story of the Fijiana Sevens emergence on to the world stage doubles as a cautionary tale, asking us to consider how much ground can be made up if we don't keep chasing excellence.
Portia Woodman in action for the Black Ferns Sevens at the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Photosport
The impact of this is not just felt in the sevens jersey. There is still a reliance on these athletes to cover the historical underinvestment in fifteens. This is why Hirini and Woodman will run out for the World Cup defence, despite not being involved in any of the build up. Sevens players were also called in to bolster and mentor squads in our Aupiki competition. Experienced professionals, they were uniquely positioned to guide new contracted players.
As these provincial pathways have fallen over it has also limited opportunities for coaches to breakthrough. Sevens had women in head coaching roles at rates our fifteens game could only dream of. It was through sevens that some of our current best – Anna Richards, Victoria Grant and Crystal Kaua – progressed their careers. The less traditional form of rugby proved the path of least resistance to these women of ambition.
Then there are those who will be motivated to join the game after watching the Sevens World Cup. The logical place to start would be at your local club but with the shape of the season unclear, we lose this recruitment opportunity. This is a shame for the overall growth of community rugby as there are women who join after initially being attracted by the shorter format. Through sevens, new players can be introduced to the physicality of rugby in a more controlled environment. Building relationships in the process that can carry through into the regular pre-season. I speak from experience as this was my own pathway as a school girl to the women's game.
Sevens has done much to lift the profile and standard of women's rugby in Aotearoa. It has shown us what we are capable of should talent be invested in. But to pull on a black jersey, you must first be able to pull on the jersey of your local team. Provincial sevens must return to allow our next wave of players to suit up.
