What the first year inside the Black Ferns is like
Being called up to represent your country for the first time is a highlight in any international rugby player’s career.
But, for Black Ferns utility back Ruahei Demant, her experience of being called up to play for New Zealand in 2018 is more unique than others.
“I was actually on the toilet, so I answered the call and he [Black Ferns head coach Glenn Moore] broke the good news,” Demant said with a chuckle while speaking with Healthspan Elite.
Adding to Demant’s euphoria of a maiden Black Ferns call-up was the fact that she shared the news with her sister and fellow Black Ferns utility back Kiritapu.
“After he [Moore] called me, he called Kiri, who was outside the bathroom, and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, your first call that you’ve ever made the team, you were on the toilet’, and I was like, ‘Yeah’.
“I’ll never forget it because of that.”
While Demant’s first-ever selection in the Black Ferns has a humorous feeling to it, it’s common for others to have a sense of disbelief when they receive their respective phone calls.
“I remember hanging out in my room and I got this phone call to say I’ve been invited to a camp and I’d been selected in the team and I actually didn’t believe it when I first got the phone call,” veteran Black Ferns halfback Kendra Cocksedge said.
Even more common is an overwhelming feeling of nervousness upon their induction into the Black Ferns camp.
Demant, Cocksedge and Black Ferns lock Eloise Blackwell all shared similar recounts of how anxious they were when they first entered the national squad.
“Going in, 19-years-old, I’d just come out of university, hadn’t really been in the environment before. For me, it was like walking on eggshells almost. You didn’t want to put a foot wrong,” Cocksedge said.
“I’m a halfback and I talk lots now, but you wouldn’t believe it the first three years in the team, I didn’t say boo, so it was kind of a nerve-racking time.
“At the same time, the respect that you have for those players, you sat still and you learned.
“My debut was in Whanganui and my first roomie was Anna Richards. She actually thought I had something wrong with me because I’d go to bed at 8 o’clock and she goes to bed at like 1:30am.
“It was pretty special, but just that feeling of walking in and, oh my gosh, it stays with you and you remember it forever.”
Likewise for Blackwell, the aura of being around players she admired prior to her first Black Ferns call-up added to the respect she had for her new teammates.
“I did keep to myself in terms of how much I spoke within the team for a long time because I was just in awe of all these people around me, the mana that they held, not just in terms of the Black Ferns environment, but in their provincial environments.”
Demant said her first time in the Black Ferns was made somewhat easier thanks to the presence of her sister and the warm culture within the squad.
“It was really nerve-racking, but everyone was so welcoming. What made it even more special is having Kiri there. We were there together experiencing that as sisters,” she said.
Perhaps even more memorable than receiving the news of being selected in the Black Ferns for the first time is making your Test debut for your country.
Cocksedge, who made her international debut as a teenager in 2007, said she struggled to keep a lid on her emotions during the pre-match national anthem and haka.
“I couldn’t control my emotions during the national anthem. I was just balling my eyes out,” the 2018 Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year award-winner said.
“You’re going into the haka and you’re on debut and you actually forget about the game. You just want to get your actions right and the words right, so that’s your first test, really, to make sure you get that right.”
Cocksedge added that her experience as an impact player in her early days as a Black Fern has helped her develop into one of New Zealand’s greatest-ever female players.
“I probably had one or two minutes for about nine years each game. I sat behind Emma Jenson for about nine years and I was comfortable to sit there.
“I learned so much off her and also off the older girls. I’m so grateful that it’s probably helped mould me into the player I am today. That’s what I feel my role is now in the side, is to give that back.”
Blackwell revealed she had a similarly emotional experience during the national anthem ahead of her Black Ferns debut against England in 2011.
“I debuted in England. Twickenham was packed. It was a packed house,” she said.
“I can just remember looking into the crowd and just seeing a Kiwi flag being flown and I think being so far from home, it was just a cool moment seeing that.”
Demant, meanwhile, said her exposure in the Black Ferns environment has driven her to become the best player she can possibly be.
“You’re not going to get better unless you play against the world’s best, and that’s the whole thing about being in the Black Ferns, is representing your wh?nau, your country, your club, your province, and playing against the best in the world.
“It drove me to want to be a part of this team. I want to put my best foot forward every time.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Gee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to comments