Earlier this year, Cora-Faith, who hails from the Northland region, was selected for the Go for Gold campaign, a nationwide initiative by the New Zealand Rugby Union that encourages women to give sevens rugby a go. During this campaign, she was scouted to join the development training programme for the New Zealand Black Ferns, and then their development camp, which would prepare her for trials for the development squad
Despite not being selected for the squad, Cora’s saw this experience as the opening of a door towards something greater.
Cora-Faith has now been invited to trial in October for New Zealand Sevens Rugby. She will be a contender for a spot in the Under 17s, Under 18s and the New Zealand Maori Under 18s.
We sat down with Cora-Faith to talk about being a woman in rugby and how she has found the sport so far.
How do you stay focused?
CFP: I don’t use Facebook, just email. This definitely helps me stay on track with my sports and grades!
What is it like being a top female contender in your age group, in a sport traditionally dominated by men?
CFP: I would not say I’m top of my age group yet, however it is something I am working on. In terms of girls in rugby, it's so awesome to see women getting more exposure in the sport. Having female role models emerge such as Portia Woodman, who also descends from Northland, is very motivating.
How did it feel when you first got scouted at Go for Gold?
CFP: Awesome! I was so shocked. Rugby is a really demanding game so it’s great to be rewarded for my hard work.
What would you like to say to other girls at King’s who may want to try out the sport?
CFP: Give it a go! As a sport, it definitely challenges not only your perseverance and resilience, but also the ability to stay strong even when you are exhausted.
