Passing the ball to our female rugby hopefuls
Black Fern Chelsea Alley first picked up a rugby ball when she was 4 and she never put it down.
‘‘I wanted to be an All Black when I was little,’’ Alley said.
Lesley Ketu came to the game when she was 14 and has been playing for the past 17 years.
‘‘I think [Chelsea and I] have similar stories,’’ Ketu said. ‘‘We grew up in small towns and had older brothers we would follow around, trying to be like them.’’
She said for both of them growing up, it was expected that girls would play netball while the boys played rugby. But women’s rugby was now on the rise.
Fresh from winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal and their team’s victory at last year’s World Cup, the two players dropped by Petone Rugby Club in Lower Hutt last week to lend a hand at a Hurricanes development day for under-18 girls.
Their Rugby World Cup trophy was on display in the clubrooms during the event.
Ketu and Alley passed on their tips and tricks of the game, before answering questions from the group of aspiring young sportswomen.
They fielded queries on their training regime, match preparation and any rituals the team has before a game.
‘‘In the Black Ferns, it’s a really relaxed vibe. We play our own music and the girls have different ways of preparing but it’s always quite fun and relaxed,’’ Ketu said.
The pair were keen to help young girls develop their rugby skills. ‘‘It’s been cool. We’re kind of fooling around, helping girls how we can, in our Black Ferns kit,’’ Alley said.
‘‘There’s so much positive attention around women’s rugby in general and it’s finally starting to get the exposure and support it deserves.’’
For both players, the dream was to be able to play fulltime while getting paid for it. With contracting coming in, that goal was looking more likely but the pair said they had some time to go before it came true.
In spite of that, Alley remained optimistic. ‘‘I think it’s just a really exciting time for girls’ rugby.’’