'I'm ready': Jorja Miller embraces golden edge at first Rugby World Cup

Fresh off an intense pre-World Cup camp with the Black Ferns, SVNS superstar Jorja Miller is leaning on her Olympics experience as she prepares to tackle the biggest stage in the 15-aside game.

The Black Ferns open their 2025 Rugby World Cup campaign in just under two weeks, and Miller has team co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu to compete for selection with on the openside flank.

With just two Black Ferns caps under her belt compared to Tukuafu’s 30, the reigning New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year is in a race against time to prove her talent can translate to not just a different format, but do so on the biggest stage in the game.

At least the latter of those challenges is nothing new.

With an Olympic gold medal in her pocket, Miller knows the scale of competition ahead of her will only really hit home when she’s standing under the bright lights of it all.

“It’s pretty weird at the moment, it doesn’t really feel real. I think when we get over to England, there’ll be all the branding and posters and a lot of chat about it over there, and I think then it will sink in,” she told Newstalk ZB‘s Jason Pine.

“But I’m excited, I think being selected for the Olympics and playing in that last year has really prepared me for a moment like this. So, I’m ready.”

A physical force on the SVNS circuit, Miller won’t have it all her own way in the XV game, and that is what she sees as the biggest challenge awaiting her in England.

“Being a loose forward, it’s probably the physicality of it all. I’m on the smaller side for a flanker, so just using my strengths and manipulating that in a way that I can still dominate in the physicality.”

Having excelled in the high-tempo gameplay of SVNS, Miller’s agility and knack for linebreaks meant the return to her familiar loose forward role raised some questions among fans and pundits. She says a position switch was never really on the cards, but she wouldn’t rule it out.

“I love playing openside flanker. If I get too far away from the ball, I don’t enjoy it as much, so I like being around and about.

“But I’d be open to playing in the backs, but flanker is where I am for now.”

When asked what her biggest strengths are, it’s clear she’s built for the six and seven jerseys.

“Probably just my ability to turnover ball at the breakdown would be one, and then trying to manipulate my way through small gaps on attack. I’m lucky enough to attack on the edge as a flanker, so that allows me to open up and it’s a bit more sevens-like, just with a few more people obviously!”