With the women's Cricket World Cup having wrapped up, Kiwi sporting eyes are now looking forward to the next big global sporting event on our shores; the women’s Rugby World Cup.
The organisers of the event are taking the World Cup trophy dubbed 'Nancy' on tour around the country, starting Wednesday in Auckland.
Tournament director Michelle Hooper told Breakfast the competition being back in New Zealand was a testament to the hard work of generations of female players in Aotearoa.
“Today marks 31 years since the first Rugby World Cup ever,” Hooper said.
“People get to be part of history – this is a history-making moment, not just for rugby but women’s rugby, women in rugby and also for female sport. It’s an incredible moment.”
Black Ferns great Dr Farah Palmer, a three-time World Cup winner and member of the New Zealand Rugby board, said the tournament being in New Zealand was a milestone.
“I know that when we were bidding to host the Rugby World Cup, I never, ever thought it would come down the Southern Hemisphere,” Palmer said.
“When we won and we actually beat Australia to get it here, it was so exciting and we’re really stoked to show the world that we really value our women that play rugby and that rugby is in our blood.”
Nancy’s tour around New Zealand was designed to highlight the country’s passion for the sport, Hooper added, with stops planned at “as many provinces as possible” as well as a trip to the Pacific Islands to show it off in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands.
The tour will span six months from April to September with Nancy travelling over 2000km before it returns to Auckland for the start of the tournament.
“We want everyone to come along and be able to see the silverware and take their photos with it,” she said.
“We want to connect the Rugby World Cup with all our communities across New Zealand.”
The Rugby World Cup kicks off on October 8 with a triple header at Eden Park, starting with South Africa playing France before Fiji take on England.
The Black Ferns then round out the day with a trans-Tasman clash against Australia.
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