Chryss Viliko: Black Ferns prop ahead of the team's clash in Britain

Today the Black Ferns left Aotearoa to head over to Britain as they look to win a third consecutive Rugby World Cup title.

Black Ferns prop Chryss Viliko caught up with D'Arcy Waldegrave to explain the joys of flying across the world and to preview the tournament.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
The Black Ferns are off to defend their world couple
with it all over again. We joined now by one
of the front row, Chris Fileco. Chris welcome, How are
you hi?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
I'm good, Thank you.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Looking forward to the flight. That's probably not the truth.
Flying to the other side of the world is horrible.
You running first class?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, we're fortunate enough to be flying business with Emirates.
World Rugby organized to any flight over twelve hours was
ketus for so we are very grateful and we're very
lucky to be flying business.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
That is fantastic. Go World Rugby and good work Emirates
for getting you over there. You need to be in
a great state. How are you physically? How's the team physically?
You haven't been playing any football, really, have you? No
far a Palmer Cup for you ladies.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
I think physically we're prepared regardless of how many test
matches we played. We've done the hard yards and where
we're just looking forward to touch grass and play some rugby,
so we're pretty much prepared.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I often talk about not defending a title, but going
in there to try and win it all over again.
Is that the attitude that the Ferns have got.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
I would say so. I would say for many of us,
we're just we know we've got a job to do,
and we're over there to not only defend the title,
but to play some good foots.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
What's the senior players and the younger players. What's the
connection like in camp been so far? What have you
learned from each other?

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I think the connection has been pretty awesome. The culture,
the culture has been awesome. We have young girls in
crucial positions, the likes of Braxton's Us and McGee. She's
pretty much mature. She leads up front and she not
afraid to speak our mind. So the difference between ages
much said, it's not non existent. But yeah, she's.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
An astonishing player. There's been a lot of media around
her and what she can do. I'm going to keep
calling her the ghost runner because it's like trying to
tackle a spirit. She just disappears. But I suppose she's
the devil. People don't know. You've got some astonishing athletes there,
but this is out of the box. She could have
an enormous influence on this tournament.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
She's an amazing player. I think she's one to look
out for. Like you said, she is a ghost. She
gets through holes that you don't expect people to get through.
So yeah, I'm pretty excited to see her on the
big stage.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
You, of course, are being in the front row. You
don't need holes. You just go straight over top of
the opposition. Is that right? Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
We have one job to do, and that's just to
carry hearts, match whatever's in front of us, and just
game meters.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
What's the general thrust or theory from allan bunting around
what you need to do, the style of rugby you
need to play in the tournament. There obviously comes in stages.
You've got to get through group phase first. But what
does he expect you to bring when you start playing
first handful of games?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
I think it just expects us to play what's in
our DNA. That's fast rugby, that's rugby no one has
seen before, that's upfront rugby, that's going around teams. I
think he just wants us to play our style of
rugby and what's in now DNA.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
And you're all across what you do and how you play.
It sounds like you've got what I know talking to
a number of athletes out of rugby in New Zealand
Wine you play with an inherent sense of joy. That's
what drives you and I think that's what we see
all the team. Even in opicky you see that as well.

(03:51):
It's what you what you hold.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yes, that's what I'll go back to is our culture
and that's the main thing. That's the most important thing
to us. If we can get our culture right offterfield
and on the field, it should ally and come together.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
As far as playing on the big stage, Yeah, Chris,
what's the biggest crowd you've played in front of? Because
I think you are a dozen or so Test matches
you've played, lucky how far.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
I was fortunate to be named in the Test team
they played in England last year. It took them. The
atmosphere there was crazy, a lot of support, a lot
of fans. I'm pretty much expecting the same. Yeah, the
atmosphere is it's just amazing.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
There is it overwhelming? When you first walk out there?
Where's your focus out? How do you actually cope with
something that big?

Speaker 3 (04:37):
It is pretty overwhelming. But then they show us the
same support that they do to their home team and
it's just it just feels our heart because a lot
of people are actually supporting us. But yeah, it's an
overwhelming feeling.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
How is it carrying their weight the expectations of New
Zealand rugby. I think the last world people didn't think
maybe the Black Ferns could get up and do what
they did, but they did. There's probably a lot more
on you athletes now. Can you can you feel like.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
I said, we've done the hard work, We've done the
hard yards. We're just excited now to play and touch
grass and just say freely.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
So yeah, really looking forward to it. It's going to
be a tremendous tournament, some terribly late nights or early mornings,
whichever way you look at it. But that's for us,
you guys. Rest up. I'm so stoked. The traveling business
class that is just awesome. And on that Chris hill Egal,
thank you very much for your time. Play well, play hard,
play fair, get amongst and most of all, enjoy yourself.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
Thank you, Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
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