Cup delay tough for Blackwell
Black Ferns skipper Eloise Blackwell was ‘‘devastated’’ by the postponement of the women’s Rugby World Cup – and not just because she was forced into a mad scramble to save her teaching job for the rest of 2021.
Blackwell opened up on the emotional toll the postponement of the historic tournament in New Zealand had taken on her and her Black Ferns team-mates in a frank interview with Stuff at this week’s launch of the first ever Super Rugby women’s clash between the Blues and Chiefs at Eden Park on May 1.
The 30-year-old lock, who hails from Great Barrier Island (Aotea) in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, assumed the Ferns captaincy last year after loose forward Les Elder took time out to have a baby. And she didn’t mind admitting the decision to postpone the World Cup, scheduled for Auckland and Whangarei in September and October, by 12 months had left her reeling initially.
‘‘It was really disappointing ... pretty devastating, to be honest,’’ she said of the postponement.
‘‘It’s not like we just started training last month or last year. This has been a work in progress for a lot of us for the last four years. It’s tough to plan your life around that and put things on hold.
‘‘You miss out on a lot because you’re focused on your one goal of being in a World Cup squad. It’s taken a little bit of time to reshuffle the goals, but I know for myself and a lot of the girls it’s still at the forefront.’’
Blackwell, who teaches physical education and health at Epsom
Girls Grammar, revealed the practical realities of the postponement had left her potentially out of a job for the rest of the year.
‘‘The day before the announcement had come out, my job had just been advertised,’’ she told Stuff. ‘‘I was taking leave from term 2 and 3 so I could focus on rugby. That morning I had to quickly email my head of department and say ‘hold on, there’s going to be a postponement, can I still have my job?’
‘‘I’m very fortunate my school is so supportive and backs me 100 per cent in whatever I do.’’
Blackwell has tried not to cling to her disappointment for long. She realised the cost and practicalities of bringing 12 international teams to New Zealand under current health protocols were challenging.
The reality was neither World Rugby, NZ Rugby nor the Kiwi government were prepared to cover what would have been an astronomical cost to place visiting teams into two weeks of managed isolation while in preparation mode. And then there has been the lack of adequate preparation as Covid has squeezed the international programmes.
At least a 2022 World Cup should allow the Ferns, and their rivals, a better buildup.
‘‘We want internationals,’’ said Blackwell. ‘‘Last year we weren’t able to have that. We played against ourselves, and had quality matches, but you can’t really measure yourselves unless you’re playing teams like England and France. It will be good to get some tests under our belt leading into that World Cup.’’
Quite what that looks like no one really knows. ‘‘We’ll keep working hard and when the time is right we’ll front up, regardless of who it is.’’