Women’s rugby in Aotearoa has never had a year as big as this.
The launch of a professional competition. A World Cup and Commonwealth Games in Sevens. And a home Rugby World Cup for the Black Ferns.
But for all its progress over the last five years, women’s rugby continues to face huge challenges. It has been hamstrung by a chronic lack of investment and under-resourcing.
Competitive opportunities, marketing, professional development, injury prevention and access to medical care all hang over the women’s game as deep-seated problems.
At a moment of celebration for the game, the State of the Union is, in many ways, troubled.
In this seven-part documentary web series, Stuff celebrates the strides the women’s game has made, but also critically reflects on the issues that continue to hamper progress. We examine whether the game is in the right state to take the leap to professionalism.
The State of the Union is presented by ground-breaking sports broadcaster Rikki Swannell, and co-produced and written by award-winning sports journalist, Stuff national correspondent Dana Johannsen.
As we enter a new era of fully paid professional women’s players, a Super Rugby competition of their own, and a World Cup on home soil, are we in New Zealand ready to fully embrace the women’s game?
The popularised origin story of women’s rugby is it kicked off in the early 90s, when a group of like-minded women around the country started organising, forcing the NZRFU to take notice. The truth is, women have been trying to play rugby for about as long as men have.
Generation Game
The wildly different experiences of mother-daughter Black Ferns Cherry and Michaela Blyde.
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Using statistics, research and a dose of humour, we will present the case for investment in the women’s game, and shoot down some of those pervasive myths that cloud the debate.
Mythbusting
Why there is no such thing as a “free market” when it comes to women’s sport.
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“Have you ever been Pukana’d?” and with those words the rest of the world found out what some of us already knew, Black Ferns sevens player Ruby Tui is much more than a footy player.
It finally happened
Kick off in Super Rugby Aupiki marks the long overdue arrival of a professional women’s rugby competition in Aotearoa.
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The making of rugby star Ruby Tui
Ruby Tui spent her childhood on the move, in the shadow of domestic violence. But hers is not soppy story: "It's just life, man".
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Fitter, faster, stronger athletes, who train as professionals even if some aren’t paid like them, means the physical toll on female rugby players is growing. But has sports science kept pace with the growth of the women’s game?
Mind the gap
The research gap putting women’s rugby players at risk.
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As women and girls remain the single biggest growth area in terms of playing numbers, the pressure is on to ensure the pathways, resources and programmes are fit to accommodate the explosion of girls flocking to the game.
Who gets to play?
How NZ Rugby is navigating transgender inclusion
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With comprehensive test match calendars, professional competitions and fully-paid, full-time players, women’s rugby is on the brink of a long hoped for new dawn. So what lies ahead? The perils, pitfalls and promise for the first generation of female professional rugby players.
Rikki Swannell convenes a discussion on the state of women's rugby with journalist and broadcaster Ashley Stanley, Black Fern Chelsea Semple and former Black Fern and NZ Rugby high performance manager Hannah Porter.
Can a professional competition salvage the Black Ferns?
The arrival of Super Rugby Aupiki was a triumph, but there was an undercurrent of disappointment - and some ongoing concern about what comes next.
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Getting to the truth takes patience and perseverance. Our reporters will spend days combing through documents, weeks cultivating delicate sources, and months – if not years – fighting through the Official Information Act, courts and red tape to deliver their stories.
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