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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
How Black Ferns comebacks and versatility shaped the World Cup squad
Another to overcome injury is Kaipo Olsen-Baker. The fierce loosie was set to be a breakout star at the 2022 tournament, having debuted in that year's Pacific Four Series. However, tragedy struck when she broke her leg just two months out from the World Cup kick-off. Olsen-Baker has fought her way back into form, battling with stalwart Liana Mikaele-Tu'u for the starting 8 jersey. It'll be her pleasure and ours when she makes her World Cup debut. Redemption is also the name of the game for veteran Kelly Brazier. Selection into this squad must have felt a long way off after a disappointing omission from the Black Ferns Sevens Olympic team. However, Brazier was determined to hang up her boots on her own terms. The workhorse got back on the field where she started, playing her way up from the Farah Palmer Cup. From there Brazier secured a spot in the Chiefs Manawa and showed just enough to ensure selectors didn't write her off this time. A defining feature of Allan Bunting's time with the Black Ferns is the willingness to reward form. He has named 23 debutantes in this cycle and a good chunk of those players have made it through. Players like Kate Henwood, Chryss Viliko, Layla Sae and Katelyn Vahaakolo have become regular features of the last two seasons, while Atlanta Lolohea and Maia Joseph have more recently made key positions their own. Four players have rocketed up the ranks this season. Vici-Rose Green, Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, Laura Bayfield and Braxton Sorensen-McGee all burst into our living rooms this year. Bayfield is the true bolter, with a debut in the last possible test ahead of the tournament. This may feel like a lot of new blood but Smith himself debuted 12 players in the last World Cup year, ultimately selecting six of them. The team, then, is a mix of experience, of transferred sevens stars and of emerging talent. Selection has walked the tightrope between specialist and versatility. Around 40% of this squad have a second position they can play in to a high standard. We are offered a lot of flexibility at lock and back row. We have first fives who can cover second five and fullback where needed. Half of those outside backs named can cover first five, centre, wing or fullback. A lack of versatility likely counted against certain players when it came to making the final call. We only had room for two specialist wingers, and Ayesha Leti-I'iga and Katelyn Vaahakolo had been the preferred starters since 2022. When Portia Woodman-Wickliffe came out of retirement, this heavily narrowed Ruby Tui's chances. She still gave her all but this time, came up short. That's the painful part of selections, but there's no doubt Tui will be cheering this team on. So we should follow her lead, just as we did after the World Cup's final whistle and tūtira mai ngā iwi, tātou tātou e! Black Ferns Rugby World Cup squad Props: Chryss Viliko, Awhina Tangen-Wainohu, Kate Henwood, Tanya Kalounivale, Amy Rule, Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu. Hookers: Georgia Ponsonby, Atlanta Lolohea, Vici-Rose Green. Locks: Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Alana Bremner, Chelsea Bremner, Laura Bayfield. Loose forwards: Kennedy Tukuafu, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Jorja Miller, Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, Layla Sae. Halfbacks: Risileaana Pouri-Lane, Maia Joseph, Iritana Hohaia. First-fives: Ruahei Demant, Kelly Brazier. Midfield: Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai'i Sylvia Brunt, Amy du Plessis, Stacey Waaka, Theresa Setefano. Outside backs: Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Ayesha Leti-I'iga, Katelyn Vahaakolo, Renee Holmes. Non-travelling reserve: Krystal Murray. Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women's sports.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Squad's potential excites coach
Georgia Cormick, pictured in action for the Spirit last year, brings experience after a season with the Western Force in Super Rugby Women. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES There is a quiet optimism about where the Otago Spirit could head this season. Head coach Matt Direen unveiled his 35-strong squad last week with an exciting blend of experienced heads and new blood to compete in the Farah Palmer Cup Championship this season. The Spirit made it to the Championship final last year, where they fell short against the Manawatu Cyclones. Direen knows what it takes to get there, having made the step up to head coach this season after several years as assistant, and is excited by the "unrealised potential" among his squad. "I think this squad has ability to go a long way and I don't think they potentially realise [yet] ... exciting to be sort of helping them reach that potential," Direen said. "Obviously some new girls coming in that bring quite a lot and established players that have proven they can do it. "Getting them all to realise just how good they can be as a squad is what we're trying to achieve at the moment." Several wise heads are back, including Tegan Hollows and Eilis Doyle, who played for Matatu, and Georgia Cormick and Sheree Hume, who played for the Western Force in Super Rugby Women. Exciting backs Charlotte Va'afusuaga, who was the Spirit's MVP in 2024, and Naomi Sopoaga also made their Matatu debuts. Former Tasman back-turned-loose forward Sarah Jones has shifted south, and halfback Abigail Paton — both were part of Matatu — returns home after a year with Canterbury. "The value of experience in today's game is massive," Direen said. "Having a few older heads having been in and in amongst that, and know what's required in terms of training and preparation. "You can tell those things from a coach, but seeing them modelled by players like Tegs, and Eilis, and those sort of girls, it's way more valuable than my words." Another experienced campaigner in Greer Muir will take over the captaincy this season. She replaces Julia Gorinski, who has retired but remains with the squad as assistant manager. Muir had developed as a calm head in pressure situations, set high expectations and delivered clear messages her players responded to, Direen said. "You notice a player when they talk [and] everyone else is quiet and Greer's that kind of person. "We've got a few leaders in that space, but Greer was certainly someone that stood out." Bella Rewiri-Wharerau has been ruled out for the season, but remains as an analyst, and Zoe Frood, Paige Church and Te Atawhai Campbell are also among the injury list. Campbell should hopefully be available at some stage, but the others were "not looking quite as promising", he said. The Spirit make the trip to Lincoln on Sunday to play a "game of three halves" against Tasman and Southland. They then head away to play Canterbury ahead of their Farah Palmer Cup opener. Both games were vital for "bridging between club footy and that next level" and preparing them for the season ahead. The Spirit open their season against North Harbour at Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 10.
NZ Herald
14-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Black Fern Grace Brooker joins Essendon AFLW after injury comeback
Unsure whether she would be re-contracted with the Black Ferns after her comeback, Brooker began to look for an adventure elsewhere. Even across the ditch. Canterbury centre Grace Brooker makes a break against Waikato. Photo / Photosport 'When I was a kid, whenever an AFL game came on TV my dad would tell me this was the best game of sport in the world,' she says. 'While my goal was always to make the Black Ferns, I also wanted to be the best athlete that I could be. So, to be the best athlete I figured I'd have to play the best sport, and I sent my highlights video to the recruitment officer for all of the AFLW clubs in Australia.' So after a season with Matatū, Brooker has code-hopped to Australian Rules, signing with Melbourne club Essendon. She's been training with the Bombers since May. Settling into a sport she's never played before has been daunting, she admits, but the players and management have welcomed her warmly. 'These girls are so fit – I've never been one of the least fit in a team before but it's the case here,' Brooker laughs. 'They've integrated me really slowly to take care of the person before the player, so everyone's been great. 'A lot of my rugby skills are transferrable but the handballing I'm having to work on – I'm an absolute beginner.' A sports-mad kid, Brooker began playing rugby aged five in North Canterbury – one of the only girls in the junior teams. Heading to boarding school at 13, she joined the Christchurch Girls High School team – playing for school on Wednesdays before heading back to Hurunui to play netball and rugby on weekends. Brooker, playing for Matatū against the Blues at Invercargill in 2024. At 14, she turned out for the High School Old Boys women's team. 'There weren't the same rules back then, so I was playing against Black Ferns as a Year 10 student. I told the club I was a flanker but they were like, 'Nope, get on the wing you skinny little girl'. I haven't been out of the backs since,' Brooker laughs. Former Canterbury and Black Ferns midfielder Grace Brooker has switched codes. Photo / Photosport Still a kid, she played University of Canterbury in a final where her opposite was USA sevens player Naya Tapper. 'We lost 70-0 and I'm pretty sure she was responsible for about 50 of those points, just running around me,' she says. 'I was too slow to keep up and whenever the ball came to my wing, I could hear my Dad from the sideline just telling me to hang in there.' Despite the brutal loss, Brooker's work around the field was noticed early and she made the Canterbury U18 squad at 14. At 18, she made her Farah Palmer Cup debut for Canterbury – the day after they won the competition, she was back in the classroom. 'I turned up in my Canterbury kit, went to the Dean and asked if I could go join in the Mad-Monday celebrations. He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and said, oh go on then. I was lucky to have such supportive teachers – I loved school, and they always knew I'd try my best,' she says. In her first year at university, Brooker received her first Black Ferns contract and was selected for the national sevens development team. 'I was in rugby camps all though O Week so when I turned up at uni a couple of weeks later, everyone had already found their friends. I hated being at the halls and spent a lot of time at home when I wasn't training. I'd wake up at 4.30am to train, go to classes, train again and then go home – it was a pretty low time but I did eventually make a few friends,' she says. After missing all of the 2018 tours, Brooker's luck turned to make her debut in August 2019, in the last game of the season against Australia at Eden Park – becoming Black Fern #214. 'My coach John Haggart told me, 'If you get the ball, just run!' I did, and they were the greatest 15 minutes of my life. It's true you just float over the field when you wear that black jersey, you just feel superhuman,' Brooker says. After a tumultuous 2020 with Covid disrupting any possibility of an international tour, Brooker hit the 2021 pre-season with a renewed drive. 'The coaches told me that they wanted me to become the new threshold for game fitness. So, I thrashed myself,' she says. 'I didn't have enough knowledge to train smart, so I just went out and ran myself into the ground as I thought that's what they wanted. 'I was the fittest I'd ever been but along the way, I also developed this weird mental ability to ignore pain and biological signs to stop exercising.' In a fitness test to run a lap of the field, Brooker pushed herself too hard. 'I completely blacked out – I finished it and started throwing up and couldn't breathe,' she says. 'I had pushed so hard for so long that I developed post-traumatic vocal cord dysplasia. When my heart rate would get too high, my vocal cords would shut off my airways – in short, my body would force me to stop because I had got my mind to a point where mentally I could push through everything.' The issue was solved with speech therapy, but Brooker was scared – 'I felt like I couldn't trust my brain to stop me from pushing too hard. It was weighing on my mind when I went into the next Black Ferns tour of England and France.' Brooker made her starting debut against England in the second test. Twenty minutes in, she chased down an England winger, bent to make the tackle and felt her kneecap shoot up her leg as her patella tendon ruptured. 'I couldn't slow down so just rolled off the field. There was horrific pain, and I remember looking down at the hole where my knee was supposed to be,' she says. She was taken straight to hospital and underwent surgery. It was traumatic experience – under Covid protocols, she had no one there to support her. 'The hospital was overrun and I wasn't allowed to eat or shower until after the surgery, so was still in my rugby kit with no food over 36 hours later,' she says. With no early spot available in the MIQ facilities back in New Zealand, Brooker flew to France to rejoin the tour. Back at home, Brooker began the slow, painful rehabilitation with her physio, Jen Croker. 'When I was eventually able to start lifting weight, the pain was incredible, I would cry or vomit at every training,' Brooker says. 'I was glad I had built that mental strength, but it was touch and go if I was ever going to play again. Grace Brooker: 'There are always going to be injuries.' Photo / SmartFrame 'I was just pushing so much I think Jen didn't have the heart to tell me that it was unlikely.' It wasn't just Brooker's knee that she needed to heal, but her mind. 'After my injury I became very socially anxious. My whole identity was tied to becoming a Black Fern … but when that was suddenly taken away, and I couldn't walk for two months, I didn't know who I was. 'I would have panic attacks and couldn't get out of my car to go to work. If it wasn't for support from Whitney Hansen [Matatū Head Coach], Jessie Hansen [Matatū Mental Skills Coach], Jen, and sessions with a psychologist [where] I was able to access through InStep, I don't think I would have got through that really dark space – they literally saved me by helping me to live the way that I wanted to.' After 15 months of excruciating rehab, Brooker was selected for the 2023 Matatū squad. Desperate to get back to the field, ongoing pain in her knee continued to dog her every move. 'I never had doubt that I would get back to playing but the pain was intense; after big sessions on the Thursday afternoon I would end up in tears. When I ran on for the first pre-season match against the Hurricanes Poua, I was cracking a lot of painkillers,' she admits. 'It was becoming clear I'd likely have this pain for the rest of my life. I've thrown everything at it – got opinions from specialists and even saw a holistic healer who waved some charcoal over it.' She's now on a specialised pain management programme, with a focus on strengthening her deteriorated quad muscle, 'and getting my body moving in the way that it's meant to. I was still on painkillers for the last game of the season, but we won the Aupiki competition that year – that was the best pain relief.' Despite her chronic pain, Brooker's impact was noticed and rewarded with another Black Ferns contract. Travelling to Canada for the Pacific Four competition, she got the most time in the black jersey of her career. In the meantime, former Matatū coach Blair Baxter asked her to join the New Zealand sevens development team in France, before she headed to join her sister Millie in Ireland and Scotland for a working holiday. While living in Ireland, Brooker figured she should try Gaelic football and absolutely loved it – 'although I got pulled up for too much contact at times,' Brooker laughs. Returning to New Zealand after a six-month rugby stint with the Yokohama TKM club in Japan, Brooker settled back to another Aupiki season this year – still managing her knee pain and hoping for one more shot at the Black Ferns. But by the end of the season, she knew it wasn't to be. 'I had a pretty cool back-up plan and so a few days after the Aupiki final against the Blues I headed over to Melbourne,' she says, joining Essendon. 'I was so depressed after losing that final – a lot of us had horrible post-campaign blues so it was a good distraction.' With such brutal injuries behind her, Brooker's incredible optimism, resilience and dedication to her sport continues to stand out. 'I can't do my knee again, there's a wire in there now,' she says. 'As for the vocal cords, I've got the toolkit to get myself back on track if I need to. 'There are always going to be injuries and any athlete is a bit delusional if they think it won't happen to them. I'm lucky to have amazing support around me in Australia and back home so there's no point in being scared, it's only going to hold me back. 'You always need at least one or two people in your corner – you can't get through these injuries by yourself. I think it's important people know it's possible to get through potential career-ending injuries and achieve your goals. I hope my experience can help someone feel less alone.' One of Brooker's biggest lessons has been knowing she's more than her sport. 'I'm at my best when I'm around my sport and I'm still finding my balance, but it doesn't define me. Plus, I may as well dig in while I can,' she says. With no sign of slowing, Brooker will be one to watch in the Essendon Bombers when the AFLW season kicks off on August 14. This story was originally published at and is republished with permission.
Otago Daily Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Bambry, Henry staying on with Otago to ensure ‘continuity'
Ryan Bambry. Photo: supplied New Otago coach Mark Brown will have a mix of the old and the new when he tackles his first NPC season. The Otago Rugby Football Union announced yesterday two assistant coaches from last season, Ryan Bambry and Will Henry, would return to form part of Brown's staff. "Having Ryan and Will on board again will ensure that the foundations and continuity from last year's campaign are maintained," Brown said in a statement. "Feedback from the playing group was extremely positive regarding the impact they both had, and I have personally observed their expertise and readiness for the season ahead." Former Otago loose forward Lee Allan will rejoin the coaching team after a spell away. Allan, who retired early with concussion issues, will be a defensive specialist after previously being involved in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. "I was thrilled when Mark discussed his plans for the 2025 season, and I am itching to get started," Allan said. "I visited a few times last season and was very impressed with the mindset and application the team showed in their defence. I am excited to build on that this season." Will Henry. Photo: Johnny Hendrikus/NZ Rugby An interesting addition to the coaching staff is Mitchell Scott, who will be a voluntary part-time "skills enhancement" role. Scott played 33 games on the wing for Otago and has since worked in coaching with the Taieri Eels and the Otago Boys' High School First XV. Meanwhile, another new Otago coach has also had his coaching team confirmed. Matt Direen is stepping up from assistant coach to replace Craig Sneddon as Spirit head coach for the Farah Palmer Cup. Direen, unveiled in the top job at the end of last year, will be backed by new attack coach Marty Hurring, the vastly experienced South Otago man who works for the Otago union in coaching development. 'I'm thoroughly looking forward to the challenge of coaching the Otago Spirit alongside Matt,' Hurring said. "This team has such a great positive vibe — on and off the field — which makes them easy to coach." Ryan Griffith will return for a third season as set piece coach for the Spirit.
Newsroom
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsroom
Kiwi Ganley moves from fear to fun in Test refereeing
When Natarsha Ganley locked her rugby referee's whistle away for a few years, little did she know that she would return and go on to reach the highest stage the role has to offer. Now 33, Tarsh, as she prefers to be called, was named last month as one of 10 referees who will take charge of matches at the Rugby World Cup in England this August and September. After a full-on start to her refereeing career, Ganley took three years off to solidify her off-field career, before Chris Pollock, New Zealand Rugby's high performance referee manager reached out to her. Pollock needed help during the 2022 Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) and called Ganley, who had made her debut refereeing in the competition as a 21-year-old in 2013. Pollock's contact reignited something in Ganley as she went on to officiate a number of fixtures that season, including the final between Canterbury and Auckland. 'Just being back in the environment, it definitely reignited the passion. I was more mature, I could actually go out there and be myself on the field,' Ganley says. 'We speak a lot about refereeing from a place of fear versus a place of enjoyment. The fear is more around, am I going to get dropped, am I going have a bad game, what will people think of me. My mindset in that time off had shifted to, if I get dropped then I'll just go back to living this awesome life that I've got and friends and family and everything there, so the worst case scenario was, oh well, that was fun, I'll go back to it, and it meant I could actually enjoy the games and have fun.' After her successful comeback in 2022, the following year brought a number of firsts, starting in July, when she was appointed to referee a Ranfurly Shield game, as the Wellington Lions defended the Log O' Wood against Horowhenua Kapiti in Levin. 'That was amazing. To be the second ever female to do that. Mum and Dad came down from Whangārei, so it was eight or nine hours in the car for them,' Ganley says. Ganley completed a full FPC season, including the final which was again between Auckland and Canterbury. She was also selected to referee at the six-team second tier WXV 2 competition in Cape Town. This would have been her international debut, but a surprise was in store. 'The night before the FPC final I got a call asking what I was doing the following weekend and I was asked to fly to Japan to do a Test match [against Fiji] and so I ended up making my international debut a few weeks before WXV 2. It was my first time to Japan and we were based out of Tokyo and it was a fantastic experience, again, refereeing from a place of enjoyment,' Ganley says. The woman in the middle – of her family – with Mum Kathy, Uncle Craig, Dad Paul, brother Darren and Poppa. Photo: Supplied Ganley went on to make her Six Nations debut in April 2024. She performed assistant referee duties for the Italy v Scotland encounter in Parma, before taking charge of Ireland v Scotland in Belfast the following week. Earlier this year she again referred the Scotland v Ireland match, this time in Edinburgh. She also made her Super Rugby Pacific assistant referee debut in front of a capacity crowd in Napier in February as the Hurricanes hosted the Fijian Drua. 'I've just been very, very lucky on the journey that I've had, having the right support in terms of friends and family and a great mentor and coach in Brendan Pickerill to start with and then Chris Pollock over the last few years, I think all the different achievements can be credited to everyone that's helped me,' Ganley says. The Rugby World Cup will feature 16 teams, an expansion from the previous 12 and a total of 22 match officials (10 referees, six assistant referees and six Television Match Officials) representing 12 nations will take charge of the 32 matches. All of the 16 on-field appointments are female, with one of the six TMOs, Rachel Horton from Australia. Ganley controlling the Scotland v Ireland Six Nations match in 2024. Ganley will be one of two referees representing New Zealand, alongside Maggie Cogger-Orr, who is not only one of the most experienced female referees in the world, but also the Women's referee development manager at NZ Rugby. Formal preparations for Ganley and her colleagues start in mid-June, with a week-long camp in Portugal. There will be team bonding, fitness work and discussions to bring alignment around law and game situations. After Portugal, the officials will take care of tournament warm-up games for approximately six weeks, with Ganley in charge of Australia v Wales and Fiji v Samoa. She'll also be assistant referee for other games, a role she will also fill in England. Away from the field, Ganley will be getting her strength and conditioning right; she's working with her trainer, who she sees twice a week. She's also working with a dietician and a sports psychologist, making sure she's in the best possible physical and mental shape for the challenges ahead. Looking at that amount of work, you'd be forgiven for assuming that Ganley is a full-time referee, but she isn't. Ganley stepped down from her role as a Compliance Analyst for Hobson Wealth Partners when the firm was bought out and the flexibility she needed for refereeing was reduced. She's been working for software company Intrahealth for the past nine months in a work from home role which has accommodated her rugby commitments this year. But even an adaptable employer like that has their limitations, and Ganley has recently resigned so that she can concentrate on the sport's showpiece event. If she's not refereeing on the international scene, she lets the North Harbour Rugby Referees Association know she's available to help out back at grassroots level. One of the association's initiatives for 2025 is a women and girls refereeing course at clubs, being led by Rebecca Stanaway. The courses are targeted specifically for females, trying to make it a better experience for young women coming though, via a group dynamic. Officiating Waikato in the 2024 FPC. Photo: Matt @ yourmoment_photos 'Anything that increases awareness in a fun environment is going to be good for everyone,' Ganley says. She's from a rugby family, rugby is their 'love language'. Tarsh and her two younger brothers played growing up. Their dad would coach while their mum would manage and have the oranges on the sideline. But there was no female team for Tarsh to play in past intermediate so she fell back into netball. When she was 17, there was an NZ Rugby 'You make the call' refereeing course. She was playing touch for her dad's team and one of the guys in the touch team suggested she went along and gave it a go. All these years on, can Ganley see a time in the future she becomes a full-time referee? 'I'm not too sure in terms of New Zealand [going full-time]. Overseas you've got Aimee Barrett-Theron out of South Africa, you've got Hollie Davidson out of Scotland and you've Sara Cox out of England. I think their systems are different to us down in New Zealand. They've got rugby 50 out of 52 weeks of the year whereas I think down in New Zealand, for the female game especially, we don't have enough rugby to justify a full-time position. I hope it is on the horizon but we'd need more rugby or women doing the top [men's] level which Maggie [Cogger-Orr] is pushing the boundary for,' Ganley says. Regardless of whether she's full-time or not, Ganley's performances, as well as those of all referees, are reviewed in huge detail. Match statistics as well as decisions are examined with feedback and an overall rating provided. Alongside that, there's the ongoing scrutiny from the rugby public. 'There's so much detail that goes into a review and so I'd love the public to see what it actually takes [to get to the top level]. I'd love them to see the sacrifices and the dedication we put into it because my social life is non-existent. I don't know how people with families do it. It takes some wonderful support behind the curtains I guess around what actually allows people to do this and to do it well and be successful. It is a full-time job,' Ganley says.
