A Chat with the Black Ferns
Hannah King (left), Kaipo Olsen (middle), and Renee Holmes (right) in Ōtautahi for their second match of the Pacific Four series. Source: Elsie Williams.
After years of being overshadowed in media by men in sport, women are finally seeing their performances gradually hit centre stage. From Simone Biles to Serena Williams to Sam Kerr, these ladies dominated their fields before a man could say “I think I could beat her!”
But closer to home, our beloved Black Ferns opened up the eyes of Aotearoa, winning the Women’s Rugby World Cup in their own backyard. It’s hard to tell whether it was the nail-biting final or Ruby Tui’s chant, but these women had Aotearoa in a trance, and the shine doesn’t seem to have worn off.
“I think it's just being able to keep building on the back of that World Cup, because that was incredible,” said fourth-year Fern Renee Holmes.
The Black Ferns recently competed in the Pacific Four series here in Aotearoa, unfortunately losing the series 19-22 to Canada. But spirits remain high, and a triumph over our Australian neighbours left the tournament on a positive note.
Similar to the All Blacks, the Ferns fill social media feeds with their effortless humour and charm – not taking themselves too seriously.
Being authentically themselves has proved an easy task for the team, according to Holmes. She believes this might be the reason people gravitate towards them on social media.
“No one's different to what they portray on social media.”
She’s aware of the team’s powerful presence and importance, and in fact, it’s actually an important tool to keep building support for the team.
“There are people out there looking at us every day… being aware of how powerful social media has been in getting crowds at our games. And being able to use our own personal pages to try and get people to come to our games is really important too.”
Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Renee Holmes with the O’Reilly Cup after their win against Australia. Source: @blackferns / Instagram.
Following their World Cup victory at Eden Park, the Black Ferns experienced a surge in public recognition. Holmes described this period as particularly exciting, with players being frequently recognised in public.
"You couldn't go anywhere without somebody recognising you. So it was a pretty cool feeling, and something that you probably never thought would happen," she said.
Fresh in the black jersey is 20-year-old Hannah King, making her Ferns debut during the Pacific Four series.
“The whole week was just a dream. I’ve always dreamed, as a little girl, to run out in the black jersey. It was very emotional during the haka and the anthem, and even in the jersey presentation. An absolute dream weekend.”
This dream didn’t come to King out of pure luck – instead, it was dedication and hard work, with the addition of a mentorship that enhanced her abilities even further.
King grew up in the small town of West Melton, looking up to Black Ferns legends such as Kendra Cocksedge. It appears that her skills manifested a mentorship with Cocksedge, who has supported King all the way.
This mentorship showed King that there are pathways for young girls from small towns to succeed in rugby. "You don't have to come into the big smoke to find a way. You can make your own path differently," King explained.
Holmes expressed a strong desire to be a role model for younger generations, inspired by her nephew and nieces – but also the broader impact she’s noticed.
"Having young girls turn up to games with our names on their signs has been pretty special," she said. A stand out moment in particular was with a superfan named Maia, who travelled from Canberra to watch her play, drawing parallels to the dedication her own parents showed in supporting her dreams.
Holmes with superfan Maia. Source: Supplied.
"It's really special. And I didn't actually think it would happen this early in my career, that's for sure," Holmes giggled.
But the truth remains: increased recognition for women’s rugby shouldn’t just happen with World Cup finals every four years. The support should prevail through any game the team plays.
“Even though it's just test rugby in a tournament, we want them there for those moments leading into a pinnacle event,” said Holmes.
The support is the fuel that fires up the Ferns to perform at an accelerated level, so if Aotearoa wants to keep that trophy, support is paramount for that success.
Holmes summed it up: “Although our World Cup’s not till next year, it actually means a lot to us, and it just makes putting on that jersey a lot more special – because you know that you're doing it for your family, but you can actually see the support from your country as well.”