Latest news with #BlackFernsSevens
1News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Sevens star Jorja Miller on transition to 15s
Black Ferns Sevens star Jorja Miller has the rugby world at her feet — but the newly-minted Women's Sevens Player of the Year puts her meteoric rise down to a different activity altogether. 'Credit to my highland dancing, which I think has had a massive impact on my rugby career,' she told Breakfast. 'I think a lot of skills have transferred over.' Of course, her hard work and prodigious rugby talent helped. The 2024 Olympic gold-medallist admitted it's been a whirlwind couple of years. 'Time flies when you're having fun. It's kind of just gone from one thing to the next, I've been loving it, so no complaints. 'I feel like an old girl. I'm 21 but I guess I sit in that more experienced side now, to lead the girls with Gossie [Sarah Hirini] and Risi [Pouri-Lane].' She was now transitioning to the 15-a-side version of the game with the Black Ferns, and targeting World Cup glory this year. '[It's] a lot more physical, I've made a lot more tackles in the last two days than in probably three years of Sevens. 'But I love that side of things, it's a different game. Bigger bodies, in Sevens it's smaller girls and bigger spaces.'' The Black Ferns take on USA at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Black Ferns v USA: Sevens stars named as Black Ferns ring changes for final Pacific Four test
'This is going to be a special moment for them to play in front of their whānau and friends. Veisinia and Vici-Rose have been with us since our first training camp. They have worked hard and done the learning, while showing their commitment to the team by helping them prepare for the last two tests. It's now their time. 'Jorja and Risaleaana, who joined us last week following their successful Sevens World Series campaign, have slotted in seamlessly. They are great humans and diligent athletes. We look forward to watching them do their thing this weekend.' Last week's result has left the Pacific Four title on the line this weekend; a bonus-point win is likely to be enough for the Black Ferns to reclaim the title, as they go into the round with a points differential 14 better than that of Canada. Fellow Black Ferns Sevens players Theresa Setefano and Stacey Waaka will also get their first starts for the Black Ferns this season, named at second five-eighths and centre respectively. It's the same midfield combination that was so effective in the World Cup in 2022. Other changes in the squad see Kate Henwood start at loosehead prop and Kaipo Olsen-Baker at No 8, which sees Liana Mikaele-Tu'u move to blindside flanker. In the backline, Katelyn Vahaakolo starts on the left wing in place of Ayesha Leti-I'iga. On the bench, prop Awhina Tangen-Wainohu and lock Chelsea Bremner are also new inclusions to the match-day squad. Bremner initially missed selection for the Pacific Four squad, but gets an opportunity after a training injury saw Dhys Faleafaga ruled out for the rest of the season. Black Ferns: 1. Kate Henwood 2. Georgia Ponsonby 3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu 4. Alana Bremner 5. Maiakawanakaulani Roos 6. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u 7. Jorja Miller 8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker 9. Risaleaana Pouri-Lane 10. Ruahei Demant (cc) 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo 12. Theresa Setefano 13. Stacey Waaka 14. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee Bench: 16. Vici-Rose Green 17. Awhina Tangen-Wainohu 18. Tanya Kalounivale 19. Chelsea Bremner 20. Kennedy Tukuafu (cc) 21. Maia Joseph 22. Hannah King 23. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai'i Sylvia Brunt
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Black Ferns v Canada: Live updates from the Pacific Four Series test in Christchurch
Follow the action as the Black Ferns take on Canada in their second test of the Pacific Four series. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will make her Black Ferns return in Saturday's Pacific Four Championship test against Canada in Christchurch. The 33-year-old has been named on the right wing in what will be her first Black Ferns match since the Rugby World Cup final in November 2022. Woodman-Wickliffe had initially retired from international rugby after helping the Black Ferns Sevens defend their Olympic gold in Paris last year, but after helping the Blues to back-to-back in Super Rugby Aupiki, she had a change of heart. Woodman-Wickliffe's return is one of three changes to the run-on side, with Ayesha Leti'iga shifting to the left wing and Katelyn Vaha'akolo dropping out of the match-day 23. Amy Rule starts at tighthead prop, while Liana Mikaele Tu'u replaces Kaipo Olsen-Baker at No 8. Sevens trio Jorja Miller, Risi Pouri-Lane and Stacey Waaka have been kept on ice after joining the squad on Sunday. Black Ferns director of performance Allan Bunting says he's excited to have Woodman-Wickliffe back in the team. 'I'm really excited for Portia to again represent her country in front of friends and whānau, it will be a special moment for her. It's been awesome seeing the joy in her eyes and everything she does to enhance our environment. 'Her willingness to learn and grow is contagious; we look forward to seeing her play this weekend against Canada.' The Black Ferns are coming off a comprehensive 38-12 win over the Wallaroos and will be eager to build on that performance with an eye on defending the Rugby World Cup later this year. But Canada will be a step up from Australia. Canada are currently ranked second in the world and secured their first-ever win over the Black Ferns last year, with a 22-19 triumph in Christchurch en route to winning the Pacific Four Championship. 'Our coaching team are doing a great job installing our game,' said Bunting. 'It was good to see pieces of this come together last week versus Australia. 'Last Saturday was a great stepping stone towards where we want to be, and we look forward to seeing how we build off that this week against a quality Canadian side. We are excited to play our first Test at home.' Kickoff is at 3.35pm. Black Ferns: 1. Chryss Viliko 2. Georgia Ponsonby 3. Amy Rule 4. Alana Bremner 5. Maiakawanakaulani Roos 6. Layla Sae 7. Kennedy Tukuafu (Co-captain) 8. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u 9. Maia Joseph 10. Ruahei Demant (Co-captain) 11. Ayesha Leti-I'iga 12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai'i Sylvia Brunt 13. Amy du Plessis 14. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee Bench: 16. Atlanta Lolohea 17. Kate Henwood 18. Tanya Kalounivale 19. Maama Mo'onia Vaipulu 20. Dhys Faleafaga 21. Iritana Hohaia 22. Hannah King 23. Mererangi Paul
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Rugby F-bombs: From Jerry Collins to Sarah Hirini
The public reaction was split along almost comically stereotypical lines, with the traditionalists and conservatives exclaiming shock and horror at such an episode, lamenting the decline in standards that had led to such a faux pas. Liberals and progressives thought it was a hoot: classic Jerry – unpredictable, authentic and a dose of precisely the sort of medicine the game needed to make it more relatable and accessible. The most interesting reaction was that of the media, who saw that Collins swearing live on TV created interest and engagement. For newspapers there was a realisation that there was a rich vein of stories to be mined at the periphery of big matches – unintended slips of the tongue in post-match interviews, moments where players have body parts inadvertently exposed, fan stupidity and coaching box meltdowns. Jerry Collins has had a great on and off field impact for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport For broadcasters, the Collins incident seemingly prompted a greater desire within executive circles to have more contact points during live broadcasts – to stick cameras and microphones in more players' faces as they came off the field, and to ritualise the half-time interview with the coaches for a real-time take on how they are seeing things. What this has done in the 20 years since Collins seemed to genuinely forget to whom he was talking, is create a normalised world in which sports stars seemingly often swear for effect or impact in live broadcasts, perhaps under the misguided belief that it makes them the relatable characters they are told the sport needs. Since Collins swore, there has been an endless procession of high-profile players who have done the same, with Black Ferns Sevens captain, Sarah Hirini, being the latest when she 'dropped the F-bomb' following her side winning the title in Los Angeles at the weekend. So much effort expended, and so much hard work endured to win the title, and all of it was reduced to a headline that said she swore and a 10-second video clip to see the moment – minus of course the very thing that was being advertised as it had to be beeped out. If the Collins incident started something, then perhaps the Hirini incident should mark the end of it. Players swearing on camera has lost its schtick if it ever had one. You don't need to belong to the fundamental Christian right to feel that the glorification and normalisation of expletive use by sports stars is a fast track to societal erosion, and before we know it, seven-year-olds will be able to recognise more swear words than they will proper nouns. It also – contrary to what they may think – doesn't do much for the brand value of those athletes made famous for swearing. It certainly doesn't do much for the validation of big match rugby as the last truly unpredictable genre of reality TV when the story of 80 minutes, or even two days of action, can be reduced to one poorly chosen word. But it won't be f***ing easy to put this f***ing genie back in the f***ing bottle – F-bombs have become a whole industry in themselves. Rugby, though, needs for at least one of the vested F-bomb industry partners to back away and the most obvious champion of this correction has to be the broadcast industry. Broadcasters should be encouraged to see that they are not delivering the world-class viewer experience they think they are when they hurriedly send a reporter on to the field after a big game to get the breathless, hurriedly considered thoughts of the winning and losing captains. The captains are tired and emotional and understandably can't gather their thoughts into neat, insightful observations that accurately and articulately sum up what has just happened. Instead, we get cliches and deflections, standardised phrases that mean nothing but discourage the interviewer from asking too many more questions. Why these interviews have been customised as part of the broadcast package is to partly fill in dead time and probably because someone in marketing gave the bosses a PowerPoint presentation a while back that used the terms 'enhanced engagement', 'touchpoints' and 'improved viewer experience'. But the biggest reason these exchanges happen is in the hope that it will induce an F-bomb, or some supposedly unforgettable moment where a player provides a viral clip for the ages. No doubt there are bonuses regularly paid out to C-suite occupants in Broadcast-Land for reaching various, irrelevant and madly conceived KPIs, which enhances this idea that the advent of these pre-match, mid-match and post-match live interviews has literally created winners and losers. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Gisborne's Kelsey Teneti helps Black Ferns 7s to world championship win
The side are unbeaten in their last 21 matches. Louise Teneti pointed out the side had actually achieved a treble in less than 12 months, having also won Olympic gold in Paris where Kelsey was a squad reserve. Louise said she had not 'really' spoken to her daughter since the final in Los Angeles. Kelsey did not drink and team celebrations were moderate with all of the travelling required on the sevens world circuit. The team fly back to New Zealand on Wednesday. Louise said the players came and went within the squad and there were different age groups. 'She's friend with all of them - no problem.' Teneti was contracted to the Black Ferns Sevens team in her first year out of high school and made her debut in Dubai in 2022. Earlier that year she was called in as an injury cover for the Black Ferns (XVs) squad for the Pacific Four Series and debuted against Australia. Some high-profile 7s players made themselves unavailable for Los Angeles to aim for the 2025 Rugby World Cup (15s) starting in England in August and were instead selected for the Pacific Four Series. But that World Cup 15s door is not closed to Teneti and others from the world championship-winning sevens side. Louise said Blacks Ferns coach Alan Bunting told Teneti to go to Los Angeles with the sevens side. There was another 15s trial later in the year before the World Cup squad were named, she said. Another option is to play in the EAATS 7s tournament in May/June in Cognac, France, which features international development sides. Teneti originally played in the 18 jersey - indicating her age when first contracted by New Zealand Rugby. Advertise with NZME. She now dons the 88 jersey with the number resembling a butterfly in honour of her late nanny Pat Teneti. Teneti wanted that connection to her nan who loved butterflies and told her: 'If you see one, that's me watching.' Her grandfather Opa (Leo) Lexmond turned 88 the same year, and 88 is considered a lucky number. Teneti was educated at Lytton High School before moving to Hamilton Girls' High School to play rugby at a higher level. She has a strong sporting pedigree. Father Kelvin and various relatives from the Lexmond side of the family played rugby for Poverty Bay while grandfather Whetu Teneti played for East Coast. Louise played hockey for Poverty Bay and cousin Sydnee Andrews represented New Zealand in judo at the Paris Olympics, is a Commonwealth Games medallist and recently won the silver medal in her weight class at the Panamerican senior champs in Chile. Teneti has played as an outside back for Waikato in the Farah Palmer Cup and for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Aupiki. She is a former national junior judo champion in the over-36kg class, won a gold medal at the waka ama world championships in Tahiti and has represented NZ Māori in hockey.
