Lucy Jenkins - Black Fern #251 Q and A

Lucy Jenkins (2014-2018) has recently been named into the Black Ferns rugby team as number #251. Lucy's passion and talent for rugby was evident right the way through her time at SMC - from achieving her Middle School badge for rugby in 2014, to her Colours and Pockets for rugby and rugby sevens, to achieving Sports Honours in rugby and rugby sevens and individual sport awards in her final year, all the while keeping it balanced with outstanding academic results.

In her international debut game against Canada, July 2023, the side secured a 52-21 victory.

Lucy came back to SMC in 2020 and gave some of her time to coaching our rugby seven's team - a slightly nervous team but with reassurance and support from Lucy they improved each game.

We caught up with Lucy for a Q&A:

What age did you start to play rugby?
I started playing rugby when I was four years old, at the club my dad and granddad played for, Kirwee Rugby Club. We would play early in the morning in the freezing cold, then stay at the club all day watching dad and causing mischief. Eventually there wasn’t a team for me at Kirwee so I moved to my local club West Melton for the U13 grade.

Were there any influences (key teachers or coaches) when you started / when you were younger?
My dad coached me for a couple of years as a kid so he influenced me a lot, he brought me to the game and I have loved it ever since. My mum owns a physio clinic at Christchurch Football Club, so I was around rugby from the day I was born. The person who influenced me the most with my rugby though was Casey Robertson. I met Casey when I was around seven years old, as she worked on my family's farm. Casey is a legendary Black Ferns loose forward, she played 38 games for the Black Ferns and won three Rugby World Cups. I thought she was the coolest person ever, she always made me laugh and I got to hang out with her outside of school. When I found out she was a Black Fern, my dream of playing for the Black Ferns
began.

Could you give us a bit of an overview of rugby for you when you were here at school, what club team you played for as well. Were there any key moments over that period that kept you focused and determined or did you have a clear path and goal right from the outset?
When I started at St Margaret's I continued to play with boys for the West Melton Club on Saturdays until the end of Year 10, finishing at the U14.5 grade. I would play rugby in the morning and hockey for St Margaret's in the afternoons. Unfortunately at that time we didn't have enough players to have a 15s team, so I played for the Forward Foundation girls team on Wednesdays. I did manage to wrangle in some girls from other sports to create an SMC 7s team each summer and we managed to qualify and play in the Condors National 7s tournament when I was in Year 12-13.

After Year 10 I joined the Christchurch Football Club and started playing for the Senior Women’s team and I have also been a part of the Canterbury Women’s Farah Palmer Cup team playing in the national provincial competition since age 16. My dream of becoming a Black Fern was starting to look more and more realistic but I still had a lot of work to do to get there.

How did you continue your path to the Black Ferns after leaving school?
After leaving school I continued to juggle my rugby with university studies for three years. Every year I focused on how I could take a small step up to approve my performance on the field. It wasn't always easy, whenever I had a tough training or struggled with university work I thought of that little girl with a dream and I remembered how far I'd come - this allowed me to keep pushing through. In 2023 I decided to go all in on my dream so I gave up my four part-time jobs to focus all my time and energy on rugby. I was hoping to have a good season in Super Rugby Aupiki for Matatū - the South Island Women's Super Rugby team and maybe get an invitation to a Black Ferns camp. This
decision paid off and after performances in Super Rugby, I earned my first Black Ferns contract and then on the 8th of July 2023 I became Black Fern number 251 when I played my debut test game against Canada.

The commitment level now - what does a week look like for you now you are in the team.
As contracted Black Ferns we train in hubs around the country, there are ten girls training in Christchurch out at Lincoln University. We all assemble for camps around the country throughout the year and are selected for tours. A normal training week for me looks like four full days of training and a game on the weekend. This includes a gym session, on field session and bike conditioning session four days a week, with a rejuvenation day on Wednesday. Rugby never really stops for me during the year, there is always something to analyse about a game, skills to improve on and recovery to be done, but I love every part of being a professional athlete.

Rugby and rugby sevens is well supported at SMC with sevens teams competing each year. 2023 saw six SMC girls join a combined Rugby team with Rangi Ruru. They competed in the Christchurch Schools XV taking out third place in a great battle against Christchurch Girls' High School. For the 2024 season we have 14 players for a combined 15 aside team with Rangi Ruru and two sevens teams. We have several new staff at SMC who have rugby experience so we hope to drive our own identity as an SMC rugby team in the future.