Bangers, beers and funny man Sir Ted
It’s a big few months for Black Ferns star Chelsea Semple. This week, the squad for the Laurie O’Reilly Cup series against the Wallaroos (August 20 in Christchurch and August 27 in Adelaide) will be announced; Semple has a milestone match in the Farah Palmer Cup today; and all the while October’s World Cup looms on the horizon.
What does your 50th cap for Waikato mean to you?
A huge amount. A couple of years ago I got my 50th FPC cap, but obviously I’ve played two seasons for Harbour (2015-2016) and one for Auckland (2011). But my 50th for Waikato means a whole lot more, because it is my home province, and the province that I love, and the province that I’d kind of do anything for. I know my family’s all very proud, and it’s a huge honour to be the second woman to receive that.
And Victoria Makea (nee Edmonds) only beat you to the mark by two games?
Yeah, I was meant to get my 50th in the final last year. But then last minute the Black Ferns who were touring got pulled out of the last two games. It was cool for Vic to be able to celebrate being the first to get that milestone.
Unlikely the Pride would make you visitors feel welcome, but if the ground announcer did allow you a song to lead the team out on Sunday what would it be?
I love bangers. So anything like Skrillex or Diplo, or anything just to get everyone fired up and excited to play a game of rugby.
It’s a huge year for women’s rugby, with the postponed World Cup now looming. Can you feel the excitement building?
It’s been the longest, most dragged-out buildup, with so many ups and downs, it’s just been an absolute rollercoaster. So to get down to the business end now and finally get some tests happening, it’s starting to feel like the World Cup is coming, for the first time in a long time. So, bloody exciting, but also so nerve-racking.
And, honestly, the competition for spots in the Black Ferns has never ever ever been so competitive.
Chelsea Semple likes a beer after the game.
Man, everyone is just putting their hands up and everyone’s the fittest they’ve ever been, and playing good rugby.
Be honest, do you laugh at all Sir Graham Henry’s jokes?
Oh my goodness, that guy, honestly, I don’t know where he gets them from, but the oneliners he comes out with. He doesn’t say anything all training and then just comes out with one-liners and has us all in fits. I don’t even know if he means to be funny, he just is.
So is there anything you women have taught him and Wayne Smith?
I think everyone who goes from coaching men to coaching women says that it is quite different. Mostly because women, we want to know every single detail, like quite over the top. So Smithy’s just kind of had to tell us not to over-think stuff and just get on with it. But I know they also like how open and more emotional and in touch with what happens off the field we are as well, so I think they’ve really enjoyed how much we open up and share about our backgrounds and stuff like that, it’s been quite powerful in our environment doing that lately.
If you could change one rugby law, what would it be?
It’s just the constant changing of laws around the ruck that gets me, there’s just too much going on there. To be fair, I trained hard and got bloody good at being able to army crawl on the ground a bit after you’re tackled to get past the jacklers coming in. And then that got axed, so I got penalised a few times for
that.
Complete this sentence – ‘‘After a game I like to. . .’’
Have a beer with my mates in the team. We like to, especially in the FPC, have a couple of beers after the game just to debrief a bit.
Obviously recovery is key, but you’ve also got to wind down a little bit, I feel. Younger ones coming through, not so much, but us older ones always like to have a beer after the game.
By the way, the Black Ferns’ nutritionist isn’t reading this . . . what’s also your go-to treats or cheat foods?
I’d probably just go for a big dirty Chinese feed, just like sweetand-sour pork, and hot chips. I really enjoy a McFlurry, too. I get them on Uber Eats every now and again.