Latest news with #womeninrugby
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Mia Anderson set for her Black Ferns debut on home patch
Mia Anderson has been named at blindside for the Black Ferns as they face a Black Ferns XV in a trial match. Photo: Photosport In the region where she would emulate her rugby heroes as a child, Mia Anderson returns home to Northland on Saturday to realise her Black Ferns dream. Born in Kerikeri, Anderson knew as young as four years old what she wanted to be. Her journey to that goal was put on pause for the birth of her child, but has resumed with a rapid ascension to the national side. "I've played rugby since I was a little kid. Obviously, this has always been the dream. Then I had my son and I kind of put it on hold and then once I returned to rugby after my baby, this has definitely been the dream. So, it's pretty special to be here." Returning from maternity leave in 2024 with Chiefs Manawa, Anderson has been named at blindside for the Black Ferns as they get set to take on the Black Ferns XV in a trial match. Though not officially a test debut, the moment is just as special. "I'm so grateful to be in here with all these amazing women. Yeah, honestly, there's just no words. I'm just really grateful to be in such a cool environment with such amazing coaches and amazing players." New Black Fern Mia Anderson. Photo: Photosport While she was elated with the news, the call didn't exactly come out of the blue. "I was at home, I had been waiting by the phone all day, hoping." The debut also doubles as a homecoming for Anderson, who was selected to play FPC as a 17-year-old. "I played for Northland first while I was at school and just a really proud Northland girl, so I'm so lucky to be going back there." She is expecting to see plenty of familiar faces in the crowd cheering for her. "There's so many. I've been begging everyone for tickets, there'll be a big group of family there, a loud fan club." The 23-year-old said she was still in awe of some of her new team-mates. "I've been around them for a couple years now, which still seems surreal that they're just your team-mate. I used to watch highlight videos of some of them when I was a kid, which is a little while ago. It's unreal." With the World Cup on the horizon, Anderson is determined to stake a claim in the Black Ferns stacked loose forward stocks. "I'm really excited to show what I can do. I really want to be there. Obviously, I think everyone does, so yeah, I just keep putting my best foot forward and fingers crossed." Black Ferns vs Black Ferns XV trial Kick off 1.05pm at Semenoff Stadium in Whangārei. Saturday 5 July Black Ferns squad 1. Awhina Tangen-Wainohu 2. Atlanta Lolohea 3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu 4. Alana Bremner (Co-captain) 5. Ma'ama Mo'onia Vaipulu 6. Mia Anderson 7. Layla Sae 8. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u 9. Maia Joseph 10. Kelly Brazier 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo 12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai'i Sylvia Brunt 13. Stacey Waaka 14. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee Bench: 16. Kate Henwood 17. Vici-Rose Green 18. Tanya Kalounivale 19. Chelsea Bremner 20. Maiakawanakaulani Roos 21. Jorja Miller 22. Risaleaana Pouri-Lane 23. Ruahei Demant (Co-Captain) 24. Ayesha Leti-I'iga 25. Theresa Setefano 26. Amy du Plessis 27. Renee Holmes 28. Chryss Viliko 29. Georgia Ponsonby 30. Amy Rule Black Ferns director of performance: Allan Bunting Black Ferns XV 1. Krystal Murray 2. Luka Connor 3. Ashley Palu 4. Laura Bayfield 5. Sam Taylor 6. Holly Greenway (Captain) 7. Elinor-Plum King 8. Taufa Bason 9. Iritana Hohaia 10. Hannah King 11. Jaymie Kolose 12. Hollyrae Mete-Renata 13. Kelsey Teneti 14. Ruby Tui 15. Kaea Nepia Bench: 16. Grace Leaso Gago 17. Jordy Tihore 18. Marcelle Parkes 19. Maddi Robinson 20. Harono Te Iringa 21. Cheyenne Tuli-Fale 22. Lucy Jenkins 23. Fiaali'i Solomona 24. Reese Anderson 25. Keira Su'a-Smith 26. Justine McGregor 27. Winnie Palamo 28. Tara Turner Black Ferns XV head coach Willie Walker Mia Anderson scoring for Waikato in the FPC. Photo: DJ Mills /
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Laishon Albert-Jones blazes own NZ Warriors pathway despite royal lineage
Laishon Albert-Jones finally gets to play at Mt Smart. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Laishon Albert-Jones admits she has spent many of her formative years frequenting Mt Smart Stadium - now she finally gets to play there. Descended from NZ Warriors royalty - namely uncle Stacey Jones, a 261-game club legend - Albert-Jones, 27, is one of the most experienced members of the revived women's programme, which returns to NRLW competition on Saturday, after a four-year hiatus . In the meantime, she has pursued her own career across the Tasman with Newcastle Knights, helping them to a 2023 championship under new Warriors coach Ron Griffiths. "This is very exciting," Albert-Jones said. "It's definitely been a dream, since I was very young. "I've been around this club for a little while, but never thought I'd ever play for them. Now I get to play for them." Despite her familiarity with the Warriors, she is adamant she intends stamping her own mark on the club and does not feel the weight of expectation that comes with her family name. "Yeah, Stacey is my uncle and that, but I don't feel no pressure," she said. "I am me and get to play how I want to play, different positions and get to write my own story this time round. "We've always talked about footy quite a lot. I always say he doesn't help, but he does help, especially with game-specific stuff and general knowledge. "When I was in Newy, it was kind of hard, but now he's literally a couple of streets away from me." Ironically, their paths have rarely crossed lately, despite Jones' ongoing role as Warriors men's assistant, under coach Andrew Webster. "I actually haven't seen him in a little while, that's quite concerning," she said. "They're always away and we're always busy." Albert-Jones started out in the halves, before moving into the pack. Initially, she benefited from having 'The Little General' at her disposal. "I remember I was trying to learn how to be a better kicker," Albert-Jones recalled. "He used to tell me, 'Just go kick a tennis ball around off the top of your foot'. Laishon Albert-Jones won an NRLW premiership with Newcastle Knights. Photo: NRL Photos/ "Kinda worked actually - that's one tip I remember he's given me." Perhaps another inherited skill was her wily ability to bluff her way onto the field. Albert-Jones admits she was initially recruited by Griffiths for the Knights as a lock, where she will pack down against defending NRLW champions Sydney Roosters this week, but became frustrated at her lack of gametime. "I was getting over sitting on the bench for him, so I told our captain, 'Tell him to put me at [second] row, I can play [second] row'. I've never told him this, but that was the first time I'd played [second] row. "He called me and said, 'You know what you're doing, eh?' and I was, like, 'Yeah, 100 percent'. "It worked out and I stayed there, so lucky me, I guess." Only six others in the Warriors gameday squad have played NRLW before, so her teammates will draw heavily on Albert-Jones' experience at Newcastle, especially as they transition several from the 'other' rugby code, including sevens star Michaela Brake . "They've actually done an amazing job," she said. "I was a little sceptical about them all coming in, because there are quite a lot of them, but they're all top athletes that love playing sport. "Just anything competitive, they're good at." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Mitchell wants 'no regrets' from England at World Cup
England will approach this summer's home World Cup with "no regrets" says Red Roses head coach John women have been in their Rugby World Cup training camp since the start of June as they aim to win the trophy for the first time in 11 years on home faced two tournament final defeats at the hands of New Zealand in 2017 and 2022, Mitchell is not shying away from the challenge ahead."How do we get done what we haven't had for a long time?" the 61-year-old said. "We mustn't have been doing something right."I guess that's the powerful opportunity while this tournament is under our watch, it's an opportunity to have no regrets."So far, England's pre-season has seen the players put into teams to compete in "strong women" challenges, but New Zealander Mitchell has also introduced an "NBA draft system".He explained the draft allows players to "strategically let somebody go because you know what your group's strengths are. To me, there's a little bit of strategy in it as well. It just helps the girls connect". Players asked to double up The group is currently made up of 42 players that Mitchell will have to reduce to 32 for the World Cup with him choosing 18 forwards and 14 limitations on numbers mean that Mitchell is looking for "versatility" in his players with Exeter wing Claudia McDonald once again being looked to cover scrum-half like she did in wing Mia Venner is also being looked at in three positions, adding both nine and full-back to her repertoire which she has covered at club is aware that the need for players to double up will impact others: "It'll be hard on some players in the sense that some specialists might miss out as a result of the versatility that's needed." Getting tough in Treviso The last Red Roses camp before the Rugby World Cup squad is named will be in Treviso, Italy in is the first foreign camp England's women have been taken on, but despite the excitement the head coach is promising it will be one the toughest and hottest they have experienced."The heat will in itself create its own duress" said Mitchell, with temperatures in the region averaging around 30C in the summer."I think our tournament might be hot, so I think we'll benefit from that. It will probably be our most uncomfortable training camp of all of them because it will be hot and you'll get bothered."After England lost the last Rugby World Cup final after an early red card for wing Lydia Thompson, the coaches are keen to ensure no stone will be left unturned to prepare the side for all eventualities."The amount that we've layered on our game will put them under a lot of questions through scenarios," said Mitchell. "The unfairness that comes in the games through the cards, those sorts of things. The play-to-rest ratios will be probably a little bit lower as well. We can create a really quite niggly camp if you like."We want to be ready for any form of unfairness and it will come at some point. Look at the way cards and HIA's (Head Injury Assessments) have advanced the game in that area."We've definitely got to do it because it's going to come in the tournament. I'd rather be ready for every eventuality and even then, we probably won't be ready for every eventuality."If we don't create that exposure, then we're probably going to let ourselves down like the last World Cup." Rivals As England prepare, so do their rivals and Mitchell is putting plans in place for warm-up games with Spain and France, followed by their opening pool games with USA and a scare against France in their final Six Nations match in May when Les Bleus came back to within a point by the final whistle, Mitchell says they have learned from it."The French match has been a big influence on how we learn and evolve our game," he said. "We look at that separately from the other matches, because they're able to threaten us in different ways."He pinpoints the change in defence coach in the last campaign with Sarah Hunter being off on maternity leave and Nathan Catt taking on her duties as contributing to them losing "a little bit of our system" and since her return "we're obviously definitely refreshing that and bringing that back".However, any talk deeper into the tournament is quickly will not be drawn on commenting on either Canada or world champions New are considered the Red Roses biggest rivals for the main prize with Mitchell saying any matches with them are "too far down, we've got to earn that right".
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
NRLW stars reveal huge issue no one speaks about
An NRLW player has spoken about a topic that most people don't even consider when it comes to their job as professional athletes. Millie Elliott — formerly known as Millie Boyle — is currently expecting her first child with fellow NRL star husband Adam Elliott. The 27-year-old rugby league star, who typically plays for the Sydney Roosters, was speaking to The Jimmy and Nath Show with Emma ahead of Wednesday's State of Origin game two when she revealed a unique experience only female players have to deal with. Elliott, who has played at the Origin level in the past, was asked what it was like to play the sport at an elite level while experiencing her menstrual cycle off the back of fellow NRLW star Jasmin Strange speaking publicly about it. 'It bloody sucks,' Elliott said. 'Especially because there are some days that are worse than others and if you wake up on one of those and it's not timed properly … even training on your period, let alone when you have a game. 'Surely there is something we can do.' Emma Chow, a host on the show, pointed out it wasn't just the physical side of things when it came to a person's period. It was also pointed out the physical toll of taking birth control and even skipping a period. Elliott said one small change that has been made is that women play in darker colour shorts. Appearing on the podcast Burro's Backyard, fellow Roosters player Jasmin Strange asked why nobody talked about the fact that NRLW players would play every fourth game while menstruating. 'That is a lot — 25 per cent of the games we play, we are on our period,' she said. 'You know how you talk about me being in the fight in the grand final? Guess what I was on? 'My period.' She said a lot of women take the pill in order to be able to 'skip' their period, but this can only be done a certain amount of times.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
From dancing to dodging tackles - McGhie's journey to World Cup
Transferable skills often go a long way in sport and Francesca McGhie certainly sees the benefit of years ago, her main pursuit was as a dancer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, but it was a path which didn't enthuse her mum saw a social media advert for a girls rugby team in Prestonpans, and the rest is 21-year-old Scotland winger is now using her fleetness of foot to dodge incoming tackles and bolt to the line."I was excited to try something new, and just fell in love with it," said McGhie. "Fourteen-year-old me would be very proud."McGhie was first called up to represent the senior Scotland squad in 2023 and made her debut against England, where she now plies her trade with Leicester Tigers in the country where she will take part in her maiden Rugby World still eight weeks away, but if the recent training camp is anything to go by, those couple of months will pass in a flash."I think it's going to fly in," said McGhie."These last three weeks have gone super fast. We've enjoyed every second of it and all of us are just super excited to get stuck into this World Cup."Awaiting in Scotland's pool are Canada, Wales and Fiji - ranked second, 10th and 16th in the world respectively, compared to Scotland's seventh."We have a very competitive pool," said McGhie, who has amassed 24 caps already."Each team brings something different and we'll have to adapt to that. "It'll be exciting to play Canada, I've never played them before. Wales is a competitor we play every year and they're always an exciting for us, and Fiji are totally different from both of them."The target for Scotland will be to finish in top two of that pool to earn a quarter-final despite the showpiece tournament not being in a more far-flung location, McGhie is convinced it'll be a tremendous sporting and life experience."It would be great to travel elsewhere but when you're in it you'll feel like you're floating around somewhere in the rugby bubble," she said.
