In the women’s HSBC Sevens Series finals in Singapore in May, New Zealand triumphed over Australia with a decisive 31-21 victory.
This win secured New Zealand as the SVNS League Winners for 2024 and established them as the first-ever women’s HSBC Sevens Series Singapore champions. Despite Australia’s efforts, they could not match the outstanding performance of the Black Ferns Sevens, highlighted by Michaela Blyde’s hat-trick.
This victory, marking their fourth consecutive tournament win, solidified the Black Ferns’ top position in the regular season standings as New Zealand’s women’s rugby union team.
Leading up to the finals, Options, other media representatives and the team at Kee Hing Hung, an authorised retailer for TUDOR, received a special invitation from TUDOR. We had the unique opportunity to train with three players from the Black Ferns Sevens team — Jorja Miller, Risaleeana Pouri-Lane and Alena Saili.
During the session, the players generously coached us on basic rugby skills, such as passing the oval-shaped ball and making simple lateral or backward passes to our teammates. Despite our best efforts, after 30 minutes of practice, it was clear that our handling skills were not as refined as the professionals’, resulting in a few dropped balls.
After the Pure Fitness Asia Square training session, we had a break followed by a Q&A session with the players, providing an opportunity to interact with the athletes.
From left: Alena Saili, Risaleeana Pouri-Lane and Jorja Miller are members of the Black Ferns, New Zealand’s top-ranked women’s rugby union team
What does Tudor’s slogan “Born To Dare” mean to you?
Jorja Miller: Born To Dare in rugby is about courage. In a team like ours, we embrace it.
Courage and bravery on and off the field are big things. I feel like that leans into what we do daily. Courage plays a significant role on and off the field, shaping our daily actions and mindset.
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Risaleeana Pouri-Lane: The first thing that comes to mind is going beyond expectations.
For our team, we strive for greatness and strive to be the best at what we can be. And also be more than what other people try to achieve. It also relates to you guys; there’s no ceiling, and you can strive for whatever you want.
Alena Saili: Courage was the first word that also came to mind. Also, authenticity. Do not be afraid to be yourself and bring what you bring to the table. Courage and authenticity are two examples.
There are so many expectations and pressures going into competitions. How do you handle them both individually and as a team?
Risaleeana Pouri-Lane: Expectations and pressures come with the privilege of wearing the black jersey and representing our country. It’s about shifting our perspective to see these challenges as opportunities.
We understand that expectations and pressures will always be present, but how we harness them positively matters most. Experience teaches us valuable lessons; we learn and grow from facing different situations. Perfection isn’t always attainable, but we continue learning and progressing by acknowledging the external noise and staying united.
In a sport traditionally dominated by males, what does it mean for females with the emergence of the women’s Sevens team?
Alena Saili: At this stage, I’m lucky to have come to a point where good people surround me. Seeing people like my parents, even some girls on the team who played in the Olympics in 2016. Seeing women come through and understanding that there is a pathway for women, girls and even little boys to come through. Seeing that makes me feel like it’s something to aspire to, especially a sport I’m interested in.
Jorja Miller: I agree with Alena. I would probably say that we’re pretty lucky that all the hard work’s been done by the people who have already played before us. We get to join at a good time, stay in fancy hotels, do our laundry, and do all the little things.
We’re pretty lucky, and I guess it’s now that we get just to go out and focus on playing the best that we can so that we continue to move forward.
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You mentioned coming into the sport at a point where significant strides have been made for women, placing them on equal footing. What do you foresee as the next step?
Jorja Miller: 100%. The women’s game has grown so much more than the men’s, especially in New Zealand, we get a lot of people coming to us and saying, ‘Oh, we love watching you guys; the men are pretty boring at the moment.’ That’s cool to hear. I guess the culture of our team allows us to keep pushing that boat out. We are never going backwards anytime soon.
When was that “ah-ha” moment when you realised: “I am part of the New Zealand rugby team”?
Jorja Miller: My debut in 2022 at the World Cup. It was in South Africa, and running out onto the stadium. It’s a massive stadium, so I ran out and looked up. Then I looked at the players around me, like players that I’ve seen growing up and all that, and then I was just like, “Wow, this is it!”
What is it like joining a team where a winning culture is already established, and how do you instil this culture in the younger girls joining the team?
Jorja Miller: It’s cool coming in young, especially knowing that you can almost be a sponge and soak up all the players’ experience and knowledge. Coming into a culture like that, you know that from day one, you’re going to have to work hard, which is also really cool because it’s not just going to be given to you; you’re going to have to work hard to get there and feel that special moment when you’re with the team.
Alena Saili: Just driving standards, ensuring everyone’s at the gym, nutrition, sleep, recovery and driving for the younger girls coming through.
Coming straight out of school, you don’t even know how to do the dishes or the washing; it’s all new to them. So, I am just trying to prepare them and get them into the programme.
Jorja Miller (left), giving us some basics on rugby skills
The Olympics are just around the corner. Can you tell us how the preparations are going?
Risaleeana Pouri-Lane: I think it’s awesome at the moment. We’ve got a squad of 20 to 21 players, and only 13 of us get to travel, but the depth and competition we have in-house are amazing. We have got so much competition from each other and for positions.
It’s been cool, and the growth is happening in our environment, but the one thing holding us all together is the team’s culture. We have an awesome culture that allows healthy competition. So, it will be hard for the coaches to select the team, which means we are pushing each other in the right direction.
