Former Black Fern Emma Jensen - described as a "true legend" by a leading rugby official - is giving back to the sport she loves both on and off the field. Photo / Neil Reid
Former Black Fern Emma Jensen - described as a "true legend" by a leading rugby official - is giving back to the sport she loves both on and off the field. Photo / Neil Reid
Emma Jensen is still making an impact on and off the rugby field seven years on from her final Black Ferns test. She talked to Neil Reid about how she juggles motherhood, being a deputy principal, coaching a new generation of players, rugby administration and playing rep rugby in her mid-40s.
As a teen, rugby legend Emma Jensen remembers herself as being "the kid who went to school to eat their lunch and play sport".
Three decades on, the 44-year-old ex-Black Ferns star has a glittering footy CV, including a trio of Rugby World Cup titles.
But just as important for the crisp-passing halfback is the legacy she is creating for a new generation of players, including those she is teaching and coaching at Hastings Girls' High School, mentoring at club and rep level, and also others who she hopes will benefit from initiatives she is driving in rugby's boardrooms.
And the driving force behind the mother-of-two's determination is doing all she can to give youngsters the chance for rugby to enhance their lives, just like it has for her.
"From an early age it taught me things like training ethics, being on-time, self-management and all of the preparation you have to put in. I had a massive passion for the sport, so that came through in terms of my preparation, and now my commitment to giving back.
Emma Jensen - pictured here prior to the 2014 Rugby World Cup - was known for her slick passing during her test career. Photo / Dean Purcell
"Now I am at the end of my career, and I want to give back to everything that rugby has given me."
The desire to give back was also a leading motivator in Jensen successfully seeking election as a Hawke's Bay Rugby Union (HBRU) director last year.
And it also features prominently daily in her role as both deputy principal at HGHS and head of the school's rugby programme.
"It is about getting these girls to school, getting them into a classroom, so they have the ability to learn," Jensen says. "And from there, having options for once they leave school. That is really important to me.
"I know that I was probably the kid who went to school to eat their lunch and play sport, but I have done all right for myself and managed to do enough to pass.
"I see so much in some of the girls here that is like me [when I was younger]. I want to give them the options so that when they leave this school they have the option of going on to university, going on to their chosen career path."
Along with all of her other commitments, she is also mum to daughters aged 4 and 1.
"It is a real juggle," Jensen says of everyday life.
Lining up for Hastings Rugby & Sports Club sees Emma Jensen play both with and against students she coaches at Hastings Girls' High School. Photo / Neil Reid
"But I have a very supportive partner who helps me out. My partner is a teacher as well. She understands what it is like to be a teacher, to start with."
Jensen's arrival at HGHS coincided with a policy change from school management to introduce a dedicated girls' rugby programme.
It came as more girls around the country see playing 15s or sevens rugby can be a full-time career opportunity.
"It is awesome," Jensen says. "Now the girls can come to school and then can have a career path for something that they are passionate about."
A triple world champion
Born and bred in Hawke's Bay, sports-mad Jensen didn't always appear to be a Black Ferns star in the making.
While she first played for the Hawke's Bay women's team aged just 15, for a while, hockey looked like the sport she would excel internationally at, representing New Zealand at age-grade level and also trialling for the Black Sticks.
Jensen played 49 tests for the Black Ferns in a career that took her around the world.
In 2017 she was also a member of the UK's famous invite-only Barbarians club's first-ever women's team, something she remembers as an "amazing experience".
But she said having a role in encouraging and shaping the next crop of players' careers – including lining up in Hawke's Bay senior grade club matches against teens she coaches at school – means just as much to her as performing on the international stage.
"My special memories are also at grassroots level," Jensen says.
"Playing against some of the players I coach, there is quite a lot of [banter] on the field, and quite a lot off of it as well. They have respect [for me], and I have respect for them for stepping up and giving it a go."
Hawke's Bay rugby fans have no shortage of local legends to look back on fondly.
The long list of local legends to have worn national colours includes the Brownlie brothers, Kel Tremain, George Nepia, Bert Cooke, Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Brad Weber, Israel Dagg, Jimmy Mill, Neil Thimbleby and William Irvine.
Hawke's Bay Rugby Union chief executive Jay Campbell says Emma Jensen is a "true legend" of rugby and someone who has a huge amount to offer on and off the field. Photo / Neil Reid
HBRU chief executive Jay Campbell has no hesitation in saying Jensen is another Hawke's Bay rugby figure who is a "true legend of the game".
"People throw that word [legend] out too often.
"But when you have someone who has played at the highest level, is still playing at that level, is giving back across club and school, and then involved in the governance side where she is shaping the future of the game, that is pretty unique in this day and age of professional rugby."
As a coach, Campbell says the former Black Fern is doing a great job in developing promising talent in the region.
Her longevity as a player is a "testament" both to her playing ability, and also the professional approach she takes to preparing before and rehabbing after matches.
Campbell says the importance of Jensen's presence in the Hawke's Bay women's team – the Tui – can not be overstated.
"From a playing perspective, EJ is a natural competitor. She is proving week after week that she is competitive enough.
"To have someone with her kind of experience, mana and history in and around our squad – which is a really young and inexperienced squad – is absolute gold for Hawke's Bay Rugby. People like EJ are a dying breed in rugby, so to have somebody like that is gold for us."
Former Black Ferns star Emma Jensen is playing both club and rep rugby this year despite being in her mid-40s. Photo / Neil Reid
While a Black Fern, Jensen played provincial rugby for both Waikato and Auckland.
But she says even during her time with the powerful Auckland rep team – while working at Epsom Girls' Grammar School – she knew one day she would like to return to the Bay and "give back" to the first provincial team she had played for.
"I wanted to help develop the Tuis team and help them in any way I could ... in terms of growing culture, growing professionalism.
"We have got so much untapped talent in Hawke's Bay. If they stay and play for the Tui, we will have a fairly fierce team."
From the field to the board room
Last year, Jensen became the latest female to enter rugby administration at a provincial level, an area that for so long has been dominated by men.
Prior to being promoted to deputy principal at HGHS she had been the staff rep on the school's board.
Jensen was quick to say yes when approached by a member of the Hawke's Rugby community and asked if she was keen to seek election to the union's board of directors.
Emma Jensen first played for the Hawke's Bay Tui as a teen, and is back in the side in her 40s. Photo / Ian Cooper
Prior to the March 2021 election she also quickly decided not to actively lobby for a spot.
"I was asked if I wanted to go out to people and ask them [if they would support me] and I said, 'No, if they want me on the board, they will have me on the board'."
It was a stance that left her feeling "50-50" over her election chances.
Almost a year and a half on, she says she is "loving" the role.
"The board is awesome and the guys on there are great. It was very welcoming and comfortable right from the get-go.
Former Black Fern Emma Jensen is passing on her vast rugby knowledge in the classroom, on the rugby field and also in the boardroom. Photo / Neil Reid
"There are lots of different sides that I can add my perspective to which is nice ... I have the playing side of things, I am a mother, I teach at a girls' school, I coach girls' rugby."
Unlike many other provincial unions, the HBRU was in a strong financial position, starting the 2022 rep season in the black financially for the 23rd year in a row. It is an achievement not even New Zealand Rugby has managed.
And it includes two seasons where the Covid-19 pandemic has decimated the financial books of many sports bodies across numerous codes in New Zealand and around the globe.
But Jensen's arrival into the boardroom comes as administrators at both national and provincial level look to stem the flow of player drop-off at club level, most notably in young male players.
The player drain comes in the face of more sporting options, increased work demands and also growing parental fears over their children suffering head knocks from bigger opponents.
Emma Jensen about to take a kick at goal for the Hawke's Bay Tui in the Farah Palmer Cup. Photo / NZME
Recent initiatives from Jensen and fellow board members include the introduction of an under-85kg grade; meaning late teen and adult players of a smaller build can play against others of the same size.
Hawke's Bay rugby bosses were also engaging with clubs in the region to help them enhance their place in their respective communities.
Jensen says that would have benefits both on the field and throughout communities.
"The more people that feel that they are connected to something, especially in these tough times with Covid, the better," she said. "You are slowly seeing people coming back to the clubs which is great ... and not just for the revenue but for the community feel."
Hanging up the boots
One thing that definitely will change on the Hawke's Bay rugby landscape in 2023 is that Jensen's name won't feature as a player with the Tui.
In her 20th season of top-level provincial rugby, she says when 2022 comes to an end it will be time to prioritise her family and what she has committed to doing off the field.
Former Black Fern Emma Jensen is adamant that 2022 will be her final year in first-class rugby. Photo / Neil Reid
"I can honestly say that this will be my last year.
"I have been told that I should retire and those sort of things ... but I want to finish on my own terms.
"I even had a ref say to me the other day, 'I thought you had retired'. I wanted to turn around and say, 'Why haven't you retired yet?'" she jokes.
"I have a family who are great ... having those support networks is key to why I have been playing for so long. And that is probably another reason why I need to retire from playing, to give back to them as well."
