When I was 8, I was up in the early hours of the morning with Dad, armed with toast and a Milo, watching the All Blacks bow out to France 20-18 in the 2007 World Cup.
At 12, I was in our local pub, yelling my head off with the rest of the community when the All Blacks beat France by one.
When I was 16, my parents were in England at the Rugby World Cup final. I was staying at a friend's house and we watched the All Blacks thump Australia.
And when I was 20, I was on my OE in London when New Zealand lost to England in Japan. A bad time to be a Kiwi in an English pub.
But, I have something to admit.
Despite my devotion to world cups, having played rugby since I was four years old, and playing in the Farah Palmer Cup, I’ve never watched the Black Ferns at a Rugby World Cup. I remember glimpses from their triumph in 2017, but I don’t think I watched any of it.
In fact, I don’t think I saw a live Black Ferns game until a couple of years ago.
Truthfully, I didn’t have much of an idea about the women’s team, until Casey Robertson, former captain, No. 8 and local farmer, came to our Southland Girls’ High School 1st XV training and taught us how to roll people out of rucks (I was genuinely scared for my life when she demonstrated this on me).
I’m now 23. I could’ve watched the Black Ferns every four years at a world cup, the same I’ve watched the All Blacks. But I haven’t. I couldn’t.
And that’s because the Black Ferns weren’t a regular on TV, or the radio, in the papers or on Weetbix cards I collected as a kid. That’s because the early Black Ferns only got one set of jerseys and had to pay their own way there. Let’s remember, the 1991 World Cup team was picked from those that could afford to attend.
But boy do I know who the Black Ferns are now.
And they’re playing in front of a sell-out crowd tomorrow night at Eden Park, with many more people guaranteed to be watching from home.
Spending the morning with some Black Ferns at a community event, lock Joanah Ngan-Woo and prop Awhina Tangen-Wainohu told me they don’t remember watching the Black Ferns play at a World Cup growing up either. Like me, they didn’t know about the Black Ferns until later in life. Unless those players were your whanau, friends, coach, teacher or played at your rugby club, not many people knew about one of the most successful rugby teams in history.
That’s because of a lack of exposure, a lack of resources, media attention, broadcasting, I could go on. But I won’t.
Most young children who love rugby, until recently, have been denied the dream of growing up and wanting to be a Black Fern. Like me, they simply didn’t know.
On the other hand, the Black Ferns have been denied the credit and recognition they deserve. They’ve always been professional, they’ve always worked hard and have always been talented. Sure, the women’s game has come leaps and bounds. But let’s not forget, just because we couldn’t see them, doesn’t mean they weren’t there. The Black Ferns have always been there.
While it’s disappointing that the rest of the country won’t get a taste of this World Cup in action due to the structure of the tournament, tomorrow's sell out crowd at Eden Park breaks multiple records.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a long way to go for women’s rugby here in Aotearoa. But while it’s nowhere near perfect, it is a rising standard. Hopefully, this game tomorrow night marks a new era. Perhaps most importantly, there’s going to be a whole new wave of kids now dreaming of becoming a Black Fern. And it’s what everyone, on and off the field, deserves.
When I was 23, I was at Eden Park with 40,000 others, as the Black Ferns opened their World Cup campaign against Australia. Where were you?
Jessica Dermody is a 1News sports reporter, and also played rugby for Auckland in this year’s Farah Palmer Cup.
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