A conversation with Harbour Hibiscus co-captain Tenaija Fletcher about the future of women's rugby.

NORTH HARBOUR STADIUM, New Zealand, August 20, 2022 – For the duration of the 2022 Farah Palmer Cup (FPC), Tenaija Fletcher has been an inspirational talisman during the regular season for the Harbour Hibiscus. She will be leading the team out in Blenheim this Saturday at 12.05pm for the FPC Championship quarterfinals. After a valiant performance against an undefeated Otago Spirit, Tenaija weighed in with her vision for the future of her game and the wider women’s game.

Tenaija is a Harbour woman to the core. Raised in Warkworth, Mahurangi, Tenaija associated herself with Mahurangi Rugby Club at a junior level, before playing at secondary school level at Mahurangi College. Tenaija currently plays for the Albany Barbarians, an amalgamation of women’s senior players from all women’s clubs in Harbour Rugby. For the last three years Tenajia has worn the Harbour colours patriotically in the FPC and is a member of the Blues Women in Super Rugby Aupiki, debuting in a 21-10 win against Matatū. With such a rapid rise in achievement for the young loose forward, a chance to wear a black jersey might not be far from Wayne Smith’s gaze.

Being able to represent her home is something that helps fuel Tenaija’s passion, when asked about what brought her to Harbour Rugby, “Being a local all my life, (I) love representing my home.” Harbour Rugby prioritises local talent, local contribution and local businesses, “They (Harbour Rugby) look after their own, and are committed to creating a positive space for the Harbour community, ensuring there are opportunities and room for growth.”

As a captain and young leader in women’s rugby, Tenaija acknowledges there are many challenges, but she is well supported. “(The captaincy) wasn’t as easy as I thought, however there has been an amazing support system – I feel I lead as a group and not individually.” Tenaija says she hopes to “Lead by example, and create a positive environment for people in sport.”

When discussing the current state of women’s rugby, Tenaija acknowledged World Rugby “Have created a great basis for the women’s game now it is a matter of continuing the support and increasing the opportunities.” In New Zealand Tenaija has seen a huge shift in women's rugby throughout her personal journey. “There has been a massive change from the way I grew up playing, for example there has been support for the grassroots level where girls are able to play their own variation of a rugby competition and not have to join the boys team.” Tenaija started playing rugby aged four, joining the boys at Mahurangi Junior Rugby. Tenaija says she wants to see “Equal paid athletes,” between women and men in ten years time.

Tenaija is a proud member of the Albany Barbarians she says they are “An opportunity to represent Mahurangi Rugby Club – Albany Barbarians ensured there was an embodiment of women’s rugby, creating a central base all individuals can join.” She wants to see the success of the Albany Barbarians continue to grow, “To become one of the top clubs and retain the title.” Tenaija has dreams of once again representing Mahurangi, this time at the senior level. She wants to “get more people into the Albany Babas, creating enough numbers so we can eventually return to represent our clubs”

Last weekend at North Harbour Stadium, Harbour Rugby hosted a women and girls connect event to give back to all the amazing contributors, both new and old, to the Harbour women’s rugby scene. “They allow me to see how many women and girls are participating in the sport and how much potential the women’s game has. It shows a bright future.”

On the day the Hibiscus took on the Otago Spirit. After Otago took the lead, the Hibiscus retaliated with a nearly unanswered second half rampage, led by an unwavering work rate of the forward pack. When disorganising the Otago defence they were “aggressive and dominant and it really showed once we had the ball in hand.” When asked about her POTM, Tenaija said “Hailey Beale, the tackle machine demonstrating just why she is so crucial to our team, her communications and certainty on every tackle is a key part of our team.” We can all be certain that this will not be the last time we hear from this upcoming star and leader.

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Article added: 26th August 2022