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The Black Ferns celebrate a try against France (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/World Rugby via Getty Images)
The Black Ferns celebrate a try against France (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/World Rugby via Getty Images)

SportsNovember 6, 2022

The Black Ferns are the best rugby product in the world right now

The Black Ferns celebrate a try against France (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/World Rugby via Getty Images)
The Black Ferns celebrate a try against France (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/World Rugby via Getty Images)

In a semifinal for the ages the Black Ferns played to a half-empty Eden Park. It won’t happen again, writes Madeleine Chapman.

It was ten minutes before halftime of the Black Ferns-France semifinal when people started regretting not buying tickets. “Very good call to go to the game,” said Duncan Greive, who’d opted to watch the game at a nearby bar instead. “This is an insanely good product.”

He was right, it was an insanely good product. The strongest defensive line in the French against the most dynamic attacking backline in the Black Ferns. The past four match-ups won by France, yet the Black Ferns betting favourites thanks to a strong World Cup campaign so far and a home advantage.

It was always going to be a close match-up worthy of a sell-out crowd, but with no proof of concept in the New Zealand market (outside of the opening day, which felt like its own standalone event), every Black Ferns match is a sales pitch, asking local rugby fans to get on board with women’s rugby. 

It’s a lot of pressure to add to what should just be a rugby game, but last night’s semifinal was a masterclass in selling a product. It sold women’s rugby, yes, and women’s sport in general, but mostly it sold the Black Ferns. 

There is genuinely no other sports team in New Zealand easier to cheer for than the Black Ferns. They’re players who are known as much for their presence and charisma off the field as they are for their play on it. We love a bit of yeah-nah-definitely energy in our national athletes, and have used that to our advantage, but if sport is an entertainment product, the Black Ferns are closer to NBA stars than they are to rugby players. 

By that I mean, there were thousands of people at the game on Saturday night who had little-to-no interest in rugby but were invested in the lives and careers of Ruby Tui, Portia Woodman, Stacey Fluhler, Sarah Hirini. Just as thousands of people go to NBA games with little knowledge of basketball but a love for celebrity and entertainment. As far as commercial viability goes, fan engagement stretching beyond what happens on the field of play is crucial, and something rugby has struggled to have in any real sense.

Stacey Fluhler with fans after the match (Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images)

But even with all that engagement with individual players, it comes to nothing if the rugby product isn’t up to scratch. A close and scrappy semifinal, with three tries apiece, big hits (and two yellow cards from big hits), consistent and unobtrusive refereeing and a penalty kick to win (or lose) the game is a test match for the ages. 

There’s plenty to think about this week. Veteran Kendra Cocksedge will be breathing a quiet sigh of relief after some ill-considered kicking plays in the second half. Santo Taumata subbed in late and nearly cost her team the win with a 79th minute high tackle. I shudder to think how those final 10 minutes would have played out with a full-15 French squad. And England have long been the tournament favourites.

It’s no surprise that ticket sales for the grand final surged in the moments after the final whistle and are now sold out. I hope local councils and businesses are planning ways to host all the fans who can’t be at Eden Park for the final. Public screenings of the match, special events etc. As much as I’d like to approach this tournament as any other rugby competition, it really isn’t. The development of the women’s game and the broadening of society’s approach to professional athletes have collided at the perfect time to create a slingshot for the Black Ferns into New Zealand’s national psyche as the team to support. 

The Black Ferns celebrate a one-point win (Photo: MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images)

If Saturday’s game, and the reaction to it, doesn’t result in more Black Ferns sponsors and more investment (or at least attention) from New Zealand Rugby to replicate it outside of a World Cup, then something is amiss.

Shortly before that fateful 79th-minute penalty was given, another friend messaged me: “I’m at the game and loving it. If we win, are you keen to go next week?”

I told him I’d already bought tickets, and as captain Ruahei Demant thanked the crowd for the support and lamented “I don’t think people realise how much of a difference it makes to us out on the field,” my friend replied. “Honestly the best game of rugby I’ve watched in years. Am gonna get a ticket tonight.”

Eden Park hosted the Black Ferns in a World Cup semifinal to a half-empty stadium. Everyone watching, from a grey seat, a barstool or a couch, couldn’t believe the product they’d just been served. If Saturday’s match was a showing of potential, the Black Ferns will never play to a half-empty stadium again.

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Madeleine Chapman
— Editor
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Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)
Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)

SportsNovember 5, 2022

The rise and rise of ice hockey in Aotearoa

Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)
Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)

Ever since a bunch of 1930s South Canterbury farmers first played on a frozen pond, ice hockey has had a presence in New Zealand. And while it may still be niche, its numbers are rapidly growing.

It’s 8.00am on a Sunday morning and I’m freezing my butt off at a sports arena in West Auckland. There’s an almost palpable feeling of excitement in the air as a machine on wheels –the Zamboni – works its way methodically around the rink, shaving off a thin layer of ice and laying down a smooth surface ready for action. With the blow of a whistle, 80+ girls and boys padded up to their eyeballs in protective equipment and oversized jumpers spill chaotically onto the ice, ready to play their little hearts out in games of ice hockey. The sport has always been pretty fringe here in Aotearoa, but it’s starting to gain momentum.

Ice hockey is famous for being the fastest game in the world, and because it’s a full-contact sport of body checking and high-speed collisions, it’s not for the faint hearted. The sport includes a veritable dictionary of aggressive terms like slashing, hooking, roughing and tripping, and has something of a reputation for the fights that are unofficially tolerated at a top level overseas. But old-school thuggery aside, it is a hugely thrilling game to watch and play … that is if you can keep track of the puck.

When I was raising a half-Canadian family in the frozen North where ice hockey is the national religion, the sport became a big part of our lives. We watched professional games, learnt to skate and eventually gave it a go on our neighbour’s backyard rink. While my hockey career was short-lived (due to injury and embarrassing lack of skill), my son Charlie took to it from the age of four, and our neighbourhood arena with its distinctive smell of ozone and sweat became our second home. On making the big move back home to New Zealand we assumed that Charlie’s hockey days were over, but on a whim I Googled “ice hockey Auckland” and was stoked to find the game actually existed back here.

Rachel Judkins on her backyard rink in Canada (Photo: Supplied)

A haka on skates

As it turns out, ice hockey has been played in New Zealand for over 80 years, after some sheep farmers in the South Island started playing on a frozen pond in the 1930s. There are over 2,000 players currently registered at all levels, from beginner to beer leagues to competitive, and we even have our own senior national teams who play internationally – the Ice Blacks and Ice Fernz. The men’s team even honours our country’s tradition of a pre-match haka, but on ice skates. During New Zealand’s first international competition in 1987 we were famously thrashed by Australia in a world record 58-0 loss, but though we may never make it to the Winter Olympics, the Ice Blacks have come a long way since then and are currently ranked 42nd in the world.

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Gabi Lardies
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Where we do almost make it onto the podium is in the advancement of the sport — we’re actually ranked fourth in the world in growth among hockey-playing nations. With rugby on the decline, it seems less traditional disciplines are filling that gap and more and more New Zealanders are embracing the game both as players and spectators.

There has been a huge push in recent years by the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF) to recruit young players, as getting kids on the ice from an early age will eventually make us more competitive on the world rink. Learn to Play runs year-round for ages five to late teens, and anyone is welcome to show up for a free trial. Because it requires an intense amount of protective gear – from a helmet with a face cage to a jock for the nether-regions – equipment is supplied so you don’t have to invest in the whole kit and caboodle. Once beginners master the art of skating, they move on to hockey skills, with the goal of eventually joining a league.

Rachel Judkins’ son Charlie plays goalie for Auckland Flash, a team put together for the under-12 nationals held this month (Photo: Supplied)

If being a spectator is more your thing, then consider hauling your ass to a game of the national men’s or women’s leagues. They really are an entertaining and affordable night out. I went to my first NZIHL game this year, and was surprised to find the arena packed with around 800 screaming fans and an electric atmosphere. The presentation definitely had a more amateur vibe than overseas, with no hotdog cannon or discordant organ riffs accompanying the game, but there were beers on tap, mascots revving up the crowd and some bloody exciting hockey being played.

Canadian Justin Daigle, whose aspirations of a pro hockey career were derailed by injury, has played for the West Auckland Admirals since he was “discovered” waiting tables here during his OE ten years ago. He and the other imports were pleasantly surprised by what they found. “When you think of a small warm-climate country like New Zealand, you wouldn’t expect there to be much of a hockey culture, but everyone is always really impressed by the quality and level of play.” Daigle was stoked to also land his dream job coaching in Auckland, and is one of the lucky few people in the country on the hockey payroll.

For the love of the game

One of the challenges of being a minority sport is that there’s very little money in the game. “It’s hard,” says Andy Mills, President of the NZIHF. “No one cares unless you’ve got an oval ball or a round ball and you’re on a court or field.” A jewellery maker by day, Mills is one of hundreds of volunteers who work tirelessly, donating up to 20 hours per week to make the sport they love thrive. When big tournaments like the recent Under-12 nationals in Christchurch come together, it makes all that slog worthwhile. “Seeing those young kids on the ice smiling and having fun, that’s what gets me up in the morning.”

Auckland Flash vs Wellington Avalanche at this month’s under-12 ice hockey nationals in Christchurch (Photo: Supplied)

With only ten rinks in the whole country, an ongoing barrier to growth is capacity. “Ice time” for players is already a precious commodity, and spectator games routinely sell out, with no room for more bums on seats despite a growing appetite for the game. But Mills is hoping to get municipal support and see more rinks built in the future. “For us to grow and have more success, we need more facilities, simple as that.”

In contrast to well-resourced Canada, ice hockey here is definitely rough around the edges, but delightfully so. As Daigle points out, without the megabucks and the lure of potentially lucrative careers in the NHL, there aren’t the overbearing parents killing the fun. “There’s less pressure put on the kids for competing and committing. It’s more about enjoying the sport for what it is, which is refreshing.” I personally love the low-key vibe, and think they have got the tone exactly right – coaches push the kids to challenge themselves but not at the expense of a good time.

Coach Pete with the Black Panthers, the Auckland under-12 super league (Photo: Supplied)

Back at the Sunday morning game, amid the racket of banging boards and thwacking sticks I can hear a bunch of different languages and accents mixing in with our local twang. Many parents are expats from hockey-centric places like North America and Eastern Europe, but there are also a lot of Asian countries represented as it becomes more popular there. For new migrants, it’s a great way to stay connected with their culture, and being welcomed into this international family can also be a game changer on a social level. My Canuck husband, who often feels like a fish out of water in Aotearoa, leapt at the chance to coach our son’s team and finds himself right at home with his new hockey mates.

I wonder if there’s also something about the underdog mentality of a niche sport that binds this small community together and creates a sense of pride. There can be fierce competition on the ice and plenty of hooting and hollering from the stands, but when the buzzer sounds marking the end of a game, it really feels like hockey is the winner on the day.

Watch our trans-Tasman rivalry hit the ice when the Ice Blacks take on the Mighty Roos this weekend (November 4 , 5 and 6). Links to the livestream of each game can be found on the Ice Blacks Facebook Page on game day.

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