Women's Rugby
Women's Rugby
It was a great honour to be asked to cover the Women's Rugby World Cup. I live-blogged every match, and have written a number of columns regarding the issues and potential facing the future of women's rugby.
Originally published October 26, 2021, for RNZ
What does success look like for women's rugby?
The stories that have unfolded are very much a microcosm of the news cycle that has enveloped it over the past couple of decades, with the very positive news of the announcement of Super Rugby Aupiki and the national side finally being able to play a proper test after a two year absence. Then there was the very negative, with the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) final blighted by the unavailability of its best players and substandard officiating.
Originally published August 29, 2017, for The Spinoff
The case for renaming the Black Ferns
The next women’s Rugby World Cup should be defended by a team named the All Blacks, argues Jamie Wall.
The Black Ferns won the World Cup on Sunday, beating England 42-31 in a highly entertaining advertisement for women’s rugby. Not only did it spark celebrations for an unprecedented fifth Rugby World Cup title, it also brought up the age old arguments of funding and support for minor sports in this country.
Originally published December 16, 2017, for The Spinoff
Why 2017 was a watershed for women’s rugby
NZ rugby needs to act, and act fast. While it is financially the most dominant code in New Zealand, it could lose the attention of potential athletes fast if they can see that there’s money to be made elsewhere.
What will 2017 be remembered for by rugby fans? There’s a couple of strong narratives, neither of which involve the usual All Black or Super Rugby news – and thankfully, unlike the scandal-filled year that preceded this one, they’re both pretty positive.