What a difference five months makes.
I distinctly remember Wayne Smith’s first-ever Black Ferns team naming media session.
Mostly because I could count the people in the room on one hand.
Literally.
Myself, TVNZ camera operator Nayte, and two members of the Black Ferns' internal media team.
Other Kiwi media joined on Zoom, so the laptop set up on a chair next to me can go down as person number five.
The number positively ballooned when the team members themselves entered in pairs to be interviewed.
They were exactly what they are now: passionate, enthusiastic, interesting, joyous.
Still, I’d be surprised if most New Zealanders could’ve named five players in that team, especially with the likes of Portia Woodman and co., who were busy with sevens at the time.
That was in Tauranga in June, ahead of the Pacific Four series, which would serve as an early blueprint for the game Smith was only just starting to implement.
A couple of thousand fans gathered around the domain for that game, on an absolutely miserable night, to watch the Ferns win an attacking, error-strewn game in the pouring rain. Smith would later claim fault for the style of play in those conditions, applauding the team’s bravery in sticking to his plan.
At his last team naming, I didn’t bother counting the people in the room.
It’s enough to know it was standing room only, with Tui acknowledging it’s the most media she’d ever spoken to for 15s, and offering an emotional spiel on how far the game had come.
Tonight, more than 40,000 fans will gather at the biggest stadium in New Zealand to watch a Ferns side try and do what would’ve been unthinkable 12 months ago: win a sixth Rugby World Cup.
After everything; the coaching tumult, the cultural review, the doubt they could match it with Europe’s best.
Now, the players - beyond the sevens superstars - are household names.
I've lost track of how often they’ve been the subject of water cooler chat, whether in the office, out with mates, or chatting to strangers.
The Black Ferns have continued to stick to what they know before the big game - community and comradery. (Source: 1News)
The country’s been swept up in the excitement and fallen in love with a team that’s not afraid to be open and honest.
A team that’s embraced the different personalities on offer and that unapologetically operates with an infectious energy that is uniquely them.
So no matter how the result ends up going tonight, they will be able to hold their heads high.
Because when I think about it, it’s not so much the difference five months makes, it’s the difference this team has made in five months.
They’ve changed the game.
We’re all better off for it.
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