Girls flock to national game
Champion Black Ferns inspire new generation
Toni Street’s 5-year-old daughter Juliette ‘‘didn’t have a choice’’ when it came to playing rugby this year.
Both the Seven Sharp co-host and her husband, Matt France, played the game, with France representing North Harbour, the Crusaders and the Chiefs. ‘‘She’s had her first season, just over winter,’’ Street said. ‘‘Came out of it, and loved it. Got a decent black eye but is keen to play again next year, so that’s good.’’ ‘‘One of the funniest times was her very last game of rugby – she finally grasped what she was meant to be doing. Every time she scored a try she was running over yelling out to us, ‘I’ve now got four tries’ in front of everyone.’’ After the Black Ferns’ victory in Ireland this year, New Zealand now holds both the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups – an achievement reflected in rising participation. Figures released today reveal there are a record
156,067 registered rugby players in New Zealand – and the increase is entirely due to a big surge in the number of girls and women playing the game.
The numbers of men are actually down slightly to 131,772 – but the women’s numbers have jumped 11 per cent to 24,295. The largest growth area is in the girls’ under-13 Small Blacks.
NZ Rugby is trying to rebuild after the previous year’s scandals: the Chiefs’ behaviour towards a stripper; All
Black Aaron Smith tryst in a disabled toilet; and Losi Filipo’s drunken assault on two men and two women.
Since then, NZ Rugby has admitted it needs to improve, commissioned a major inquiry, and appointed Farah Palmer as the first woman on the multimillion dollar organisation’s board.
NZ Rugby’s Cate Sexton says it is exciting to see female rugby lead the growth of the sport.
One new player is 12-year-old Mischa Saletele, a type-1 diabetic. ‘‘I love the challenge and running the ball, and being able to do something that I wouldn’t have done in the past,’’ the Titahi Bay Intermediate student says. Mischa’s mum, Delwyn Saletele, says her daughter doesn’t shy away from the physicality of rugby. ‘‘She did at the start but after her coach had a quiet word and she was OK.’’ Mischa got up early to watch the Black Ferns take home their fifth World Cup title. ‘‘You could see it on her face, she was in awe, she definitely looks up to the Black Ferns,’’ her mum says. ‘‘The Black Ferns have kids and jobs, and they’re still playing, beating teams and winning World Cups.’’
As for Toni Street, she believes sport helps kids’ development – and keeps them entertained. ‘‘Women’s rugby is getting more funding. The big change was the inclusion of rugby sevens at the Olympics. Now it’s become a genuine aspirational thing.’’
She came out of it, and loved it. Got a decent black eye but is keen to play again next year, so that’s good. Toni Street