Pouri-Lane’s nets gold without playing
Risaleaana Pouri-Lane is smiling and why wouldn’t she be. The 17-year-old has a Commonwealth Games gold medal without playing a single minute in the New Zealand women’s sevens jersey.
The former Motueka High School student moved to Hamilton in February to be with the team, got on a plane to the Gold Coast this month and came home with a piece of gold she has yet to find a permanent spot for.
Arriving back in New Zealand this week after her NZ under 18 side qualified for the junior world cup, she was modest about her speedy rise in the women’s sevens game, but she was certainly happy to have shared the experience.
‘‘It’s pretty crazy, but it’s pretty cool.
‘‘It’s pretty crazy like in a way I feel like I don’t really deserve it because I haven’t actually been on the field.’’
Pouri-Lane, who was named travelling reserve when Ruby Tui contracted mumps, was laying out her teammates’ jerseys in the holding room, as she had for the previous matches, when she was told to throw on her playing strip and join the team in the warm up just five minutes before the final against Australia. She was needed because vice-captain Tyla NathanWong had suffered a neck injury in warming up.
During the nailbiter final won in extra time thanks to an 80-metre try from stalwart Kelly Brazier, PouriLane was never really sure she wanted to move from the comfort of the sidelines and over the white line.
‘‘I was just trying to relax about everything. If it came to the point if I did get on I knew whatever happens, happens and just to play the way I usually do.’’
Pouri-Lane, who turns 18 next month, went to three overseas tournaments with the New Zealand development team last year. She was the youngest Black Ferns Sevens player to earn a fulltime contract for 2018.
She had planned on on studying sports and exercise science this year, but has delayed this until next year to concentrate on her full-time sevens career.
‘‘I definitely never would have dreamed to have been in the team straight out of high school. The plan was to study but this is even better.’’
In the games final she had mixed feelings about replacing Tyla Nathan-Wong.
‘‘It was exciting, but at the same time I was heartbroken for Tiny. Seeing her on the ground was devastating.’’
Nathan-Wong was relayed the game’s result by an ambulance officer on the way to the hospital.
‘‘I remember them telling me it had gone to overtime and then that we had won and I just burst out crying,’’ she said.
Nathan-Wong has fully recovered from her neck injury and was back on the field for team in their winning effort at the Japan sevens earlier this week. The 23-year-old, who made her debut in 2012, is now a senior in the team and hopes to be around a long time yet.
The team begin training again next week before heading to Canada for their penultimate round on the World Rugby Sevens circuit.