'We went from having seven girls at training to now I have 26'
Rugby is always evolving – both on and off the park.
For the women’s game, that evolution has been rapid over the past decade.
While men’s rugby first went professional in New Zealand in 1996, when Super 12 and the Tri-Nations first launched, the women’s game has remained largely amateur until the last few years where a small crop of New Zealand’s top players are now being compensated for their blood, sweat and tears.
The Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse has developed into one of the more attractive competitions on the annual calendar while a Super Rugby equivalent is set to kick off next year for the top 100 or so players in the country.
However, the pinnacle of rugby in New Zealand remains the international arena, and it’s with the Black Ferns where the changes in the landscape are perhaps most evident.
New Zealand’s premier women’s team played their first internationals in 1989 and while support in all its forms has steadily improved over time, it’s in the past few years where things have really ramped up for the Rugby World Cup title-holders.
Kendra Cocksedge, the second-most capped Black Fern of all time, made her debut in 2007 against Australia and has been a regular starter for the side since 2011.
The differences between now and when she was first called up to the national team are stark – both in terms of the support provided to the side, and the readiness of the new players forcing their way into the squad. In fact, in Cocksedge’s formative years with the team, the resources they had at their disposal pale to how they operate now.
“We had two coaches, a manager and a physio,” the halfback says, speaking with Healthspan Elite. “As we kind of progressed through the years, we started getting video analysis, doctors, media managers and so it was quite crazy to go through that progression.
“My first year in the side, we got left over Under 20s boys kit. We didn’t have any other gear then; it was just kind of what was left over.”
While a huge amount of development goes into taking fledgling Black Ferns from fresh call-ups to world-class operators, Cocksedge is well aware that new players first arriving in camp are far further along in their development than back when the halfback first debuted.
“Because girls are getting engaged in it a little bit earlier potentially now, as they come through, I think it’s just going to get better and better,” she says.
“I think the physical side and the way we play the game has changed a lot. Girls are working harder at an earlier stage and you can see even just the body shapes of girls has changed to be a bit more athletic.
“The quality of the game now, and just to be part of playing in that quality of footy, is awesome.”
Eloise Blackwell – who captained the Blues in their inaugural clash with the Chiefs earlier this year – first joined the Black Ferns in 2011 as a 20-year-old and is nearing her 50th appearance for the team.
Like Cocksedge, she’s noticed some significant changes in the way the Black Ferns operate. While Blackwell once played the game exclusively for enjoyment, there’s a lot more riding on the team’s successes now.
“For me, my early rugby days were more about just having fun with my mates,” she says.
“When you come together in a Black Ferns environment, it’s the cream of the crop of players within New Zealand. You need to be up to par because if your skillset isn’t, you’re going to be letting your teammates down.”
The changes in the professionalism of the women’s game have been reflected in the way the team prepares for Test matches. Along with the increase in support staff that have been brought in over the years, players and coaches are continuing to work hard, but they’re also working smarter.
“I remember my earlier years in the Black Ferns and we trained for like five hours straight one session in the rain and we had sprigs on the whole time,” says Blackwell.
While training days are still full-on, they’re broken up into more focussed sessions – and more thought is put into pre- and post-work out.
“Because training loads have increased, we’ve had to start using the likes of supplements so after a big gym session, especially, or a big session on the field, we’ve had to replace some of that stuff burnt out with some protein,” Blackwell says.
“So normally straight off the field, our management will have prepared some shakes for us, so we’ll make sure we top up on our protein and we’ve got to make sure we look after ourselves and that maybe taking some other supplements to make sure we’re keeping our immune system good and where it needs to be so we can keep performing at that top level.”
Healthspan Elite are the official sports nutrition partner of both the Black Ferns and the All Blacks and provide the two premier sides with all their supplement needs – including whey protein for shakes and the vitamins needed to ensure the players’ are operating at their full potential throughout the season.
With players now coming into the Black Ferns environment on a more full-time basis, there’s also a big focus from the organisation on supporting women off the field.
Ruahei Demant has had to overcome injuries throughout her career but has started 11 consecutive Tests for the national side since her debut in 2018.
She says that the emphasis on life outside of rugby has amplified since she joined the squad.
“I would say there’s a lot more of a holistic approach to training. There’s a lot more assistance given financially, mentally. There’s a lot more focus based on lives outside of rugby.”
Despite the growth in the game, however, Demant is hopeful that it continues to make big strides moving forward – there’s still plenty of work to be done.
“[Early on] there wasn’t much recognition of women’s rugby in Aotearoa,” she says. “I had no idea that there was a Black Ferns team.
“I’m so excited at seeing young girls come into this environment. My hope for them is that they can only focus on this. I would like to see the women’s game become professional – not semi-professional, not amateur. I’d like to see more resources invested into women’s rugby.
“I think it’s exciting. I think there are so many women, so many girls in Aotearoa that look up to so many of the players in this team and want to be exactly like them – and there shouldn’t be any reason that they can’t do this as a job only.”
With numbers steadily increasing at the grassroots level, the future is bright for women’s rugby in New Zealand – providing that the talent can continue to be nurtured.
Blackwell, a PE teacher at Epsom Girls Grammar in Auckland has seen numbers continue to grow for her college rugby side.
“We went from having seven girls at training to now I have [sic] 26 girls on my teamsheet where I have to actually start considering players having to miss out on gameday, which is a nice headache to have, versus worrying if you’re going to have enough to field a team. It’s grown hugely,” she says.
Cocksedge, the Women’s Rugby Development Manager for the Crusaders region, is also optimistic with the growth in the game.
“The numbers are just taking off,” she says. “There’s just a lot more opportunities and there’s more of a pathway for girls to be able to come into the game at any age and any stage.”
It all bodes well for the future of the sport in New Zealand, and could pave the way for the Black Ferns to maintain their dominance in the international arena for years to come.
Healthspan Elite are proud to be the Official Sports Nutrition Partner for the Black Ferns as well as the All Blacks. Both teams trust Healthspan Elite to supplement their diets with high quality nutritional supplements. The range, which has been sold in the UK for eight years is developed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts who aspire to reach peak performance.
The full range of Healthspan Elite products are available here in the UK and here in New Zealand.
Comments on RugbyPass
Christie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
44 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
44 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
44 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
44 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
44 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to comments