Captaincy caps off big dream
Captaining the Black Ferns in her home province is a huge honour for Northlander Arihiana MarinoTauhinu, but as a girl she dreamed of one day becoming an All Black.
Marino-Tauhinu said she never expected at that stage to one day play for the national women’s rugby team, but that was only because women’s rugby wasn’t the big deal it is today.
There’ll be plenty of whanau and friends in the stands in Whangārei today backing Marino-Tauhinu and the rest of the Black Ferns, and while there’s been plenty of requests for free tickets, she’s urged them to buy tickets instead to support the team and the competition.
Growing up, Marino-Tauhinu said she was first inspired to play rugby by her dad Francis Marino, and she enjoyed playing against her brothers and other boys from the area in front of the local marae.
Playing against the boys set her in good stead for her career.
“[Dad] played for Ōhaeawai and two of my older brothers. There was one car heading out on a Saturday morning and I wasn’t going to miss out. I’ve nine siblings and we played in front of the marae. I played against the boys until under-16s,” she said.
Marino-Tauhinu said she was “pretty casual” when Smith told her she would be captain for the game in her home province but filled with pride, too.
“Proud for all the young girls up here and knowing that they can see that there is a pathway for them. If you want to you can follow your dreams and you can make it with hard work. There is a path for you if you want it.
“There was no pathway for me growing up, there was no Northland Kauri team [that now plays in the Farah Palmer Cup] and that’s why I wanted to be an All Black,” Marino-Tauhinu said.
“But now they can make it and we’re showing them that it can be done. And hopefully this will inspire more to join their local rugby club. That’s the hub, that’s where it all starts, at the local club.”
Smith explained why he picked her to captain the squad, after missing last week’s win over Wales.
“Ari is our cultural leader. She often leads the haka and is a great leader for the team. The last time we played up here in Whangārei [against the USA], Arihiana started and was player of the match.
“She is already a respected leader in the team, so we have full confidence in her captaining the side.”