Whanganui Rugby chief executive Bridget Belsham, puts a large part of the success down to the work of former Black Fern and Whanganui women and girls game developer, Sosoli Talawadua.
“She’s an inspiration, she’s shown that you can come through playing rugby from a young age, you can put on a black jersey, be a mum,” Belsham said.
“I think she’s a massive part — not that she would say it.”
Talawadua, who plays for Whanganui Marist, said the clubs and schools were vital for the growth of the game.
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The success of the Black Ferns, particularly at the World Cup in 2022, was deemed a factor in gaining the interest of females playing rugby in the region.
“It was massive, with 2023 being the first year of having that club competition it gained a lot of attraction. Especially with juniors, too, there are little girls wanting to play rugby. We took my daughter to the World Cup games — she loved it and wanted to join a rugby team,” Talawadua said.
There is potential for the women’s competition to have an additional two teams next season, with Hunterville and Border holding musters to determine whether it is possible.
Talawadua hopes that the potential additional teams won’t come at the expense of the competitiveness.
“We’d rather it be competitive than have heaps of teams. Having seven teams would be great but if that means that one team is getting a hiding every week whilst another’s winning every week it would take away the fun for some people.”
Belsham is pleased to see the growth and stresses the importance of showing girls that they can express themselves.
“Women’s rugby is very much a part of the rugby landscape and it always has been. Growing the game in the women’s space has helped the participation of all clubs overall,” Belsham said.
“We know we can develop talent and we’re all for encouraging players to go on to bigger and better things such as provincial or national rugby — We are very proud of that.”
Whanganui’s women’s Heartland side won the North Island Heartland Series in 2024 after finishing runners-up the year before.
This was despite losing 10 available Whanganui club-based players to the Farah Palmer Cup.
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Taihape Rugby Club’s women’s side won the 2024 competition after a narrow win over Whanganui Marist Rugby Club in the final.
Taihape’s head coach Ruth McKay had also noticed an increase in interest inplaying rugby for her side and hopes the competition can continue to flourish.
“Yeah, there was a few more numbers, we’re still trying to get out and promote it but there was an influx of interest,” she said.
“The more we can get in the competition that’s fantastic but weary to keep quality over quantity. Trying to keep that quality up is going to keep the strength of women’s rugby in the Whanganui region growing.”
The continuation and development of female rugby is important for creating opportunities, according to McKay.
“You’re creating another sport that is available for the girls and women, there is that opportunity that if someone wants to give that game a go, it’s there.”
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Meanwhile, the number of secondary school players in Whanganui rose 16%, juniors were up 18%, seniors shot up 22% and they noted a 5% increase in referees as well as a 10% increase in coaches.
Overall participation for Whanganui rugby teams was up 19%, with 2999 players across the grades — a number which Belsham hopes will continue to rise.
“We’re always keen for growth. The biggest thing for us is around continuing to support our clubs through strategic development and long-term planning. Retaining participants and giving them a good experience is a major priority.”
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