By Nigel Yalden
Honey Hireme-Smiler has represented New Zealand in rugby sevens, rugby union and rugby league. She has seen women’s rugby game go from strength to strength during her time in the game and has been an exceptional flag bearer for New Zealand women’s sport. We spoke with the triple international turned broadcaster and Halberg Foundation senior advisor about the past, the present and the future:
What’s your earliest memory of playing rugby in the Waikato?
HONEY HIREME-SMILER: I was 15 when I first played rugby for Putaruru High School. That year [1997] I made the Waikato schoolgirls team and they named me captain. I barely knew the rules because I had been playing league since I was 5, but we had players from Tokoroa, Hamilton, Te Awamutu and a couple from Matamata. I remember after one of our games we got to watch the Waikato women’s team and that was the first time I heard of Vanessa Cootes…she scored about five tries that day.
What’s the most significant change that you have seen in women’s rugby during your time involved?
HH-S: I think the most significant growth in the game has been driven by the Rugby Sevens programme, especially the introduction of Sevens into the Olympics, on the back of the World Series and Commonwealth Games. Having those high-profile tournaments and competitions drove the women’s game to be better resourced which then led to the contracts which
initially were part-time (semi-professional they called us) to then full-time contracts and elite high-performance pathways. I think what excites me is seeing the young 18-year old’s fresh out of high school walking straight into a professional sporting environment and making a career in rugby.
How big an opportunity to showcase the women’s game in New Zealand will hosting the Rugby World Cup be?
HH-S: HUGE! And when the Black Ferns win it, that will bring our 15s players more into the spotlight.
I have no doubt that Black Ferns will take out yet another title! We continue to be world leaders of the women’s game, and this is a credit to all levels of the game in NZ, be it schoolgirls, women’s club players, provincial players. And it’s not just the players.
It’s our coaches, referees, managers, support staff, board members. The more women we have involved in the game overall, the better the whole New Zealand rugby eco-system will be. I genuinely think the first female All Blacks coach is on the horizon.
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