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‘Can I try’: Injured Sarah Hirini refusing to give up on Paris Olympics dream
Injured Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini is down but not out. With the Paris Olympics just over five months away, Hirini is in a race against time to be fit and ready for the Games.
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Hirini, who was the flagbearer for New Zealand at the Tokyo Games three years ago, was helped from the field at the SVNS Dubai in December after suffering a serious knee injury.
The Olympic gold medallist was later ruled out of the next SVNS Series leg in Cape Town with an ACL injury – a tough blow that put the skipper in doubt for the rest of the season.
But after returning home to New Zealand and undergoing a successful ACL operation, Hirini embraced the challenge with a telling Instagram post in December.
“Ready for the tough road ahead,” Hirini wrote, with the caption accompanying a picture of the sevens star post-surgery.
But it still seemed like long odds that Hirini would even be a chance for the Games – but don’t tell her that. It won’t be easy, but Hirini is tackling the challenge head-on.
Hirini believes she can be on the plane with the New Zealand Olympic team to Paris, which the 31-year-old made clear in another social media post earlier this week.
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“I get that this is the normal timeframe but because there is an Olympic Games, can I try and make it back?” Hirini said in a video released on her Instagram.
“If they are going to tell me no, then I knew that that was a complete no.
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“They’ve said, ‘Yeah, there’s time. We’re pushing it but realistically there’s a time that you could try.’ And so I said, ‘Sweet, that’s all I need.'”
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In the absence of Hirini, the Black Ferns Sevens have struggled this season. After losing the final in Dubai, they were pipped by France in the Cape Town semi-finals a week later.
New Zealand appeared to be tracking well at the series’ most recent tournament in Perth, but a tough match-up against arch-rivals Australia in the quarters was always going to be tough.
It was a clash filled with thrilling tries and controversy, and in the end, hosts Australia emerged victorious at HBF Park.
“If anyone watched that game yesterday, it was worthy of a final,” New Zealand’s Tyla King told RugbyPass after New Zealand’s final match in Perth
“It was pretty ridiculous, I’m not gonna lie. Two red cards in the space of a few minutes of each other. It was just all over the show.
“Pretty entertaining for everyone out there watching but pretty gruelling out there for us. Not how we wanted to finish this tournament.”
Next up on the SVNS Series is an event in Vancouver from February 23 to 25. Those interested in watching some of the world’s best rugby while enjoying the best party in town can get tickets HERE.
Comments on RugbyPass
Just came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
5 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
5 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
5 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
5 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to comments