Proud cheers welcome local rugby hero home
Ahuge crowd packed the streets of Kaitāia last Wednesday to welcome home Black Ferns rugby world champion Krystal Murray. In one of the largest parades for a sportsperson in Far North history, Pāmāpuria’s Murray (Te Paatu) was greeted by more than a thousand people cheering her on with signs, waiata (songs) poi and “ootzahs”.
In true Far North style, “Muzza” travelled down Commerce St on the back of a truck trailer, surrounded by loved ones.
The procession was led by local police and emergency services, with the emotion of the event bringing Murray and others to tears.
“When I saw the feedback on Facebook about people wanting to do a homecoming parade, I was quite shocked because it’s a big thing for up here,” Murray said.
“This all came together in about 48 hours, so being acknowledged from our small community is amazing.
“This town means a lot to me and that’s the reason why I choose to stay here. My success is our success.”
The journey to becoming a world champion has been a long and arduous one, with Murray almost walking away from competitive sport after retiring from professional rugby league in Auckland.
It was only after returning to Pāmāpuria in 2017 and joining Te Rarawa Rugby Club’s women’s team that Murray saw the opportunity to
take her career to the next level.
Te Rarawa Rugby Club president Lesley Wallace said it was a group of current and ex-Black Ferns players
who had moved north that originally helped set up the women’s rugby team.
She said it was Murray’s decision
to stay local, however, that had proved you didn’t need to leave the provinces to make it big.
“Our club is so proud of Krystal for all that she’s achieved, no one else has started at home and come home a world champion,” Wallace said.
“We’re also grateful to the other Blacks Ferns players like Aroha Savage, Rawinia Everett and Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate for making this team happen and thankful that our Te Rarawa Rugby Club had the forethought to welcome women’s rugby into the fold.
“What’s extra special about Krystal is that she’s creating pathways for others who want to play professional rugby.
“It’s quite inspirational to have her within our
club and she’s someone we all look up to.”
Murray remains the only Black Ferns player to live outside of an NZ Rugby high-performance hub.
The 29-year-old said she refused to move, despite not having access to the same resources as her colleagues in larger towns.
“I feel this place brings the best out of me and I believe that if I stay, then the resources will eventually come to me,” Murray said.
“I rely a lot on my people, especially my aunty Taari and her partner Rick who own the Kaitaia Strength and Fitness gym here, they’ve helped me big time.
What’s extra special about Krystal is that
she’s creating pathways for others
who want to play professional rugby.
Lesley Wallace, Te Rarawa Rugby Club president
“My partner helps me a lot too, as do my teammates and I think if I didn’t have that grounding I wouldn’t have played the best that I’ve played.”
The homecoming parade came just days after the Black Ferns’ stunning 34-31 win over England in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Auckland’s Eden Park stadium on November 12.
Murray said becoming a world champion was a dream come true and couldn’t put into words the excitement and relief she felt when the final whistle blew.
The win has also raised questions about the pay scale for elite female athletes and the disparity between their wages and that of their male counterparts.
In Parliament last week, Greens Party leader Marama Davidson and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer both showed their support for the Black Ferns and other professional sportswomen.
“Pay them, pay them well, pay them all of the things, pay them what they have always deserved,” Davidson said.
Even the Prime Minister added her two cents while in Asia for the East Asian Summit (EAS), saying the world champions deserved equal pay and equal opportunities to men.
“I’m grateful those words are coming out of her mouth to be honest,” Murray said.
“For myself, I work part time, but for a lot of our girls, once we finished our World Cup, they had to go back to fulltime work on Tuesday.
“It’s a struggle for many and for us to be called professional athletes and that we get paid for it . . . that grinds me a little bit because some of the contracts we get aren’t liveable.
“We also have to meet the same requirements as the men, plus we have to pay secondary tax . . . the men don’t have to do any of that.”
NZR general manager professional rugby and performance, Chris Lendrum, said New Zealand Rugby had invested in a fulltime professional contract model for its women players that had enabled more than 60 players to make rugby their No 1
priority as a profession.
Lendrum said NZR wanted to build that further and with 112 players — including the Black Ferns — now being contracted for an expanded Super Rugby Aupiki competition, they would continue to build the depth of the women’s game.
“There were 41 players on fulltime Black Ferns contracts in 2022, including a number of players added to the group during the course of the season,” Lendrum said.
“We had an additional 25 players on fulltime Black Ferns Sevens contracts, so the professional base is growing considerably.
“While the professional game for women has not yet reached the same scale as the men’s game, the future
is bright, and we anticipate opportunities and remuneration will increase.”
Lendrum confirmed NZR would be making key announcements through the summer period that would illustrate these plans.
On Sunday, it was revealed Murray had signed with the Hurricanes Poua ahead of the 2023 SKY Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
She said she was excited to link up with the Hurricanes Poua and to get stuck into Super Rugby Aupiki.
“After a couple of seasons with the Blues, a new challenge and opportunity to work with a new set of coaches and players is something I’m looking forward to,” Murray said.
Hurricanes Poua head coach Victoria Grant said Murray would bring versatility and an X factor to the Poua’s front pack.
“Krystal had an amazing campaign with the Rugby World Cup in the Black Ferns,” Grant said.
“She was a vital part of their team, bringing firepower in the second half.
“Looking at her ball skills and what she can bring outside of her key role as a prop, her skill set is really something of a playmaker, first-five, second-five sort of player, so we’re really excited about that.”
Super Rugby Aupiki kicks off on Saturday, February 25, with the Hurricanes Poua taking on the Chiefs Manawa in the competition opener at Levin Domain.