Freedom, expression help spin sevens gold
The route to the Black Ferns gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was based on a culture that allowed players to be truly free off the field in order to translate to success on the field. In this extract from her book Sevens Sisters, broadcaster Rikki Swannell explains how each player used that variety to adopt a role in the squad.
There are the sleepers, the dancers, the organisers, the planners. The ones who’ll happily catch the ball and run fast and others who’ll dissect and break down every pass, step and tackle. Attacking leaders, defensive strategists and cultural guides, the Litty Committee – in charge of making sure there’s always a ‘‘vibe’’, and the OGs – the originals, not the oldies. It’s a melting pot of characters, personalities, diverse backgrounds and different cultures, but everyone has their role and knows where they fit in because in putting people first, each member of the Black Ferns Sevens has learned their own value and how they contribute to the collective.
At its heart, sevens rugby is a game of space and time, or sometimes the lack of it. But it’s also a game of freedom and expression, seeing what’s in front of you and going for it – in sevens there’s no room for hesitation. The philosophy behind the culture of the team was such that if a player could be free off the field, be truly themselves, that would translate on the field... it would be a culture that would again underpin performance.
By and large, what you see is what you get. Ruby Tui is fun, quick-witted and passionate, Portia Woodman is big-hearted, Gayle Broughton loves to dance and, yes, Stacey Fluhler is, more often than not, smiling.
‘‘When I was younger, I used to get embarrassed when I stuffed up and worry more about what other people thought. When I was first in this team, I probably had a bit of a shell and came across as quite shy, but once I started to play more I started to show who I really was,’’ says Fluhler.
‘‘I am driven to do things off the field and achieve outside of rugby as well and I’m not shy to be me... my nickname from Niall [Williams] is ‘Annoying’ because I am energetic and bubbly and happy; that’s me and I’m not pretending to be someone else. I think the more I’ve expressed myself off the field with my culture, with my study, whatever it is, I’ve got better at rugby and not been scared to give things a go and stuff up.’’
The key for [coach Allan] Bunting in helping players look into and find out more about themselves was understanding who they were before they became a Black Ferns Sevens squad member.
‘‘When you get to a point where they can actually talk about their story and where they come from, you understand that everybody in that environment doesn’t start on the same starting line; there’s some players who are amazing at sport and great people, but they’re actually starting way outside the stadium and they need some work to get to the starting line,’’ Bunting says.
After the team regathered following the 2016 Olympics, a core of players formed the leadership group as Bunting recognised the need to put more support around Sarah Hirini.
Back in the day, leadership groups in most sports teams used to happen by osmosis, largely based on how many caps a player had as opposed to their leadership qualities, but now they form a core part of success in any top-level side. The Black Ferns management wanted to ensure voices like those of Tui, [Tyla] Nathan-Wong, [Kelly] Brazier and Williams were never silenced and each player found their niche within the group. Brazier and Nathan-Wong led all things rugby, particularly on attack. Tui and Williams would not only be critical to the defensive strategy but also to leading the off-field culture, while Woodman and Fluhler looked after the te ao Ma¯ ori side of culture, imparting their knowledge about haka and waiata which were elements so central to the heart of the team. Theresa Fitzpatrick would also join the group in the year leading up to Tokyo.
For Hirini it felt like she could become a facilitator, rather than having to take it all on her shoulders.
‘‘It became so much easier because we all had a voice and we were able to pass
information, the management and leaders were totally aligned and I think what was probably a key turning point for me is that Bunts allowed us to be ourselves as leaders,’’ says Hirini.
‘‘Generally, my job was going to the coaching group if there was an issue, and it’s not because the other players didn’t want to or couldn’t, it’s just that’s probably where my role fell over time to be that communicator and to go back and forth to both groups.’’
In looking at who could form a leadership group, Bunting could see who his ‘‘alpha females’’ were, the ones who would be followed whichever door they went through, even if it was the wrong door.
Tui became a significant figure in meeting that ideal, as was Williams, who was initially surprised to be included given her relative inexperience in rugby.
Williams says they took it upon themselves to set a standard.
‘‘For the first couple of years we definitely put ourselves out there to lead and be an example from the front. We really did set the platform of that connection between the management, our kawa, our vision and just bred it through the team,’’ says Williams.
‘‘We lived and breathed it and the games and tournaments were almost a reward for the courage, character and work ethic of the leaders, and we always earned our jerseys.’’
Much like coaches [Cory] Sweeney and Bunting were the perfect foils for each other, Tui provided that role for Hirini – she was the heart to the captain’s head.
‘‘In an off-field sense my go-to person was always Ruby, and probably because we think really, really differently; obviously our main concerns are about the team, but I know that my view is always different than Ruby’s view, and so it was nice for us to talk and come up with solutions together,’’ says Hirini.
‘‘Ruby has way more empathy than I do so sometimes I would get her to talk to a player or get her feeling for what the team needed.’’
Which isn’t to say the pair didn’t butt heads. ‘‘Always,’’ laughs Hirini. ‘‘And we always disagreed, but there was never a sense of one of us needing to have the upper hand. If we had a difference of opinion, we’d chuck a poll to the group and the majority vote got it, so even if it wasn’t my choice the group decided what was for the best for the team.’’
Not everyone felt themselves to be a natural leader and Portia Woodman was one who needed to grow into their role.
‘‘It was quite hard, because I see a leader as someone who’s got things sorted; they know themselves, who they are, they know their role within the team, they turn up to trainings and turn up to meetings on time and organise, and for me I struggled to always tick those boxes. I know I have strengths and I know I lead in certain aspects of our environment, but I struggled to feel like a leader ahead of someone else,’’ Woodman says candidly.
‘‘My part in our cultural environment, the waiata and the haka areas, were my forte – I could talk to people about haka, I could introduce people in te reo Ma¯ ori and I could do it confidently.
‘‘Stacey, Ruby and Niall and I worked really well together on the cultural part; Niall and Ruby were the connection with people, their ability to bring out the good in others and have those conversations and understand each other, while Stacey and I were strong on haka, waiata and te reo Ma¯ ori.’’
‘‘Ruby has way more empathy than I do so sometimes I would get her to talk to a player or get her feeling for what the team needed.’’
Sarah Hirini
The authenticity of the leaders and genuine under-standing of what made each other tick sometimes meant telling it straight. For young players, like Alena Saili, there were lessons to be had and inspiration right in front of them every day.
‘‘Ruby is her authentic self in whatever she does, and if she doesn’t like something she will voice her opinion and if she does, she’ll say it... she brings so much energy to everything,’’ says Saili.
‘‘There are some instances where she’s had to have hard conversations with us, so for example Dhys [Faleafaga] and I posted a TikTok video that had a bit of swearing in it, which was the trend, but Ruby pointed out we were in team kit, and asked if that’s what we wanted to represent for the team and show young girls. I said, ‘Oh, actually, you’re right,’ so even a little conversation like that makes us open our eyes.’’