A lineout steal that stole our hearts
Joanah Ngan-Woo etched her place in rugby history last November when she pulled off a match-winning lineout steal for the Black Ferns against England in the Rugby World Cup final.
Three months later, she’s getting ready to return to action with Hurricanes Poua in Levin on February 25, while also juggling her day job with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
We caught up with her at the Super Rugby Aupiki launch this week to talk about the final, the beauty of lineouts and her hopes for the coming season.
How often in the past three months have you relived the final?
I’ve relived the final a number of times. It’s really blown up. It just shows the recognition of women’s rugby at the moment and the heights that the World Cup and especially the final took the game to in New Zealand.
What’s it been like being part of such a massive moment?
A lot of people recognise me now and come up to me and then I have to relive it again and just think of the moment and what happened. Talking to the other girls like Krystal Murray who were there, we always talk about it and just buzz out really.
How do you feel about being recognised?
I just laugh because for me, it’s just a game that I love to play. It’s not work to me. I love to train and now I’m getting all this recognition. I was just at the airport this morning and
I got asked to take some photos, which is super new to me, but it’s amazing and shows what rugby can do in New Zealand.
What’s the coolest interaction you’ve had with a fan?
I guess when fans tell me about when they were watching the last lineout of the game. I was in the moment, I was just focused on the processes, but when fans tell me what it meant to them and where they were and how crazy it was, that’s pretty cool, hearing that.
It’s an unusual play to have become a big moment. Having put the work in as a lock, how cool is it to see a piece of skill like that be so celebrated?
It’s crazy, because lineouts to me are my bread and butter. That sort of lineout is what we do every single day. That’s what we do for our warm-up. To have the moment nominated for the Halberg award is just amazing. I’m just happy. It was something that I love to do. Lineouts are the best.
When did you head back to work at MFAT?
I was actually back on January 4.
Has it been hard?
Not too hard because I’ve always worked and played rugby. When we’re on tour, I’m able to just be completely rugby, but when we’re not on tour, it’s just the normal routine for me to go to work and go to training and just fit it all in the schedule.
How good is it to actually have Super Rugby Aupiki really happening as opposed to last year, where it was a bit of a mess in the end?
It’s crazy to think we are actually having a real Super Rugby this time. Reflecting back on last year’s Hurricanes season in the Covid-19 bubble, we barely had any time together. Now having camps and proper weeks, assembling Thursday to Sunday, I think we’re going to produce some amazing
rugby.
‘‘It’s crazy, because lineouts to me are my bread and butter. To have the moment nominated for the Halberg award is just amazing.’’
Joanah
Ngan-Woo