‘I really want to win a World Cup’: Jorja Miller opens up on 15s switch

New Zealand’s Jorja Miller is a bit unsure about mauls and scrums but that hasn’t stopped the HSBC SVNS Series phenomenon from daring to dream big. Miller will move to 15s after the upcoming World Championship in Los Angeles in a bid to play at the World Cup.

Miller was nominated for World Rugby’s Sevens Player of the Year in 2024 and the Black Ferns Sevens ace also took home the top gong in New Zealand Rugby, having been awarded the highly-prestigious Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.

That honour at the ASB Rugby Awards last December saw Miller take hold of some special rugby history as the second-youngest recipient of New Zealand Rugby’s top prize, behind only legendary All Black Jonah Lomu who won the award at 20 years of age in 1995.

Download the RugbyPass App to watch exclusive SVNS Series videos and catch up on the latest news you need to know. Download it from the App Store HERE or Google Play.

Already considered a generational talent, Miller signed a historic deal with New Zealand Rugby 13 months before taking home that award. It was the longest contract extension signed by a female rugby player in New Zealand, with Miller re-committing to NZR through to 2027.

Miller was recently named the Player of the Final after helping New Zealand overcome familiar foes Australia in the Hong Kong Sevens decider. But a new challenge awaits, with Miller set to switch to 15s in less than one month for the Pacific Four Series.

“Obviously, 15s is a big thing in New Zealand. I started playing 15s and I guess I’ve always wanted to tick off a World Cup or a few if the cards fall out that way,” Miller told RugbyPass at Hong Kong China’s Kai Tak Stadium.

“I really want to win a World Cup. We’ve got a pretty special Black Ferns group working away at home playing Super Rugby at the moment – I’d love to try and do my part to win.

“Openside flanker, I’m thinking,” she added. “I like to be close to the ball so anywhere too far away, I get a bit bored.”

“I’ve been practicing the little things and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I like mauls and scrums and stuff’ but nah, it’ll be good.”

New Zealand Sevens announced last month that Miller would make the move to 15s along with six other members of the Black Ferns Sevens. All seven are hoping to represent New Zealand during the World Cup, which begins on August 22 and ends on September 27.

Thresa Setefano, Alena Saili, Dhys Faleafaga, Kelsey Teneti and Risi Pouri-Lane won’t play at the winner-takes-all SVNS Seres stop in Los Angeles next month, with Pouri-Lane an especially significant loss considering the playmaker was named the Player of the Final in Singapore.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by NZ Sevens (@nzsevens)

Code-hopper Stacey Waaka is also making the move back to 15s. The two-time Olympic gold medallist will join Miller in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for the upcoming World Championship, with the pair set to link up with the 15s squad for Pac Four.

“A World Cup in England is second best to a World Cup in New Zealand so that’s really exciting,” Miller explained in a video on the Black Ferns’ Instagram.

LA’s Dignity Health Sports Park will host the World Championship and SVNS Series playoffs on May 3-4. Don’t miss out – buy your tickets HERE.

“Just knowing that it was an opportunity, like it’s not going to be easy and man, they’ve got a pretty stacked team already.

“I can really grow and just learn off the girls. There are some high, high-level professionals in that team with heaps of knowledge that, man, I’d just love to learn off and just be a sponge which I think is really exciting, like a whole new challenge.

“Can’t wait for a maul, scrum, the dirty work.”