Stacey Waaka: Black Ferns Sevens froward ahead of the World Rugby Women’s Sevens series

The World Rugby Women’s Sevens series gets underway this weekend, with the first round taking place in Dubai tonight. 

Stacey Waaka is a forward for the Black Ferns Sevens side, and she joined D'Arcy to discuss how the team is looking ahead of the season opener. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Let's get under way now with the Rugby World seven
series gets underway this weekend, first round taking place in Dubai.
What sport doesn't take place in the Middle East anymore,
I digree, So I'll go back to what I was saying.
Stacey Wakers staff for the Ferns seven side and a
number of other teams as well, like the fifteens for example.

(00:34):
She's going to talk to us now about how the
team's looking ahead of the season opener. So how entus
da are you, Stacy about this new seven season?

Speaker 3 (00:43):
Look, I'm very as enthus There is a part of
me though that's a little bit nervous because I'm actually
one of the outer ones in the team. There's a
lot of young guns coming through right now. Me and
Teresa are thirty and we are experienced, I should say
a woman here playing in Dubai. But I love coming here.
It's a great start to the series. Dubai is fun,

(01:04):
There's so much to do and it's a great atmosphere
to be around into playing so very excited.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
I wish I was thirty and I could say I
was a senior member of anything. You just jesus, this
thirty is nothing. You'll be fine any things. Yeah, you've
got well. To say you've got a storied history in
sevens is an understatement. You have done so much, we
had so much success. What keeps driving you to play

(01:30):
the game at that level?

Speaker 3 (01:33):
I think it's the fun, the passion, the enjoyment of
traveling the world. Still obviously putting on the black jersey.
It doesn't come around too often, and for me knowing
that it is not coming to an end soon but
sooner than it was when I first started, and like,
it's just it's an opportunity that not everyone gets to do.

(01:53):
So I just love it. I'm so grateful. I'm so
proud and honored to represent my country. But ultimately it's
my dream job that I still continue to love, and
I'll until the day comes where I'm like, you know
where I'm really like, Okay, my time there is done.
I'm just going to continue this journey because you meet
some amazing people, connections worldwide, not just obviously in New Zealand.

(02:14):
And then yeah, the memories you make are just those
things that you'll forever cherish and yeah, when I look back,
I'm going to be like, Yep, loved it, loved my time.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Sevens fans are filthy. That essentially a limbs being chopped
off New Zealand rugby. We don't need the Sevens here anymore.
They're up sitting enough to you. I mean, what do
the team think about that? Always amazing performances all around
the globe, your Olympic champions, your World champions, but you
can't play at home.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Let's think honestly, it sucks. It's sad it's done because
we have played at home for those couple of years
and those were by far our standout tournaments in terms
of not just the success, but just having your family
and your friends in the crowd, being able to interact
with them during the games and whatnot. It's like, I

(03:02):
don't know, it's a hard feeling to explain. So yes,
we're really sad, We really gut that it's not at
home anymore. But I suppose whenever we go overseas like Australia,
we give it perspective that it's the closest to home,
so we pretend like it's our home tournament. So yeah,
just got to get on with it. I suppose and
hope one day that things can.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Change the format of the series. It's changed somewhat. It's
basically a new era. There are less teams in that
top level. They're only running six rounds in that. How
comfortable does that? The format of this event? These events?

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, it's interesting to say the least. Obviously, I know
that it's out of our control and we just kind
of have to tune up and play. I do feel
sorry and sad for the teams who have unfortunately missed
out of playing at this level and they've only got
three tournaments to kind of prove themselves at the end
of the last three tournaments, but yeah, I mean, as
a player, you're just grateful to be here. You're just

(03:56):
grateful that there is still a competition and you get
to still go to some amazing places worldwide. So you
kind of just shove that to the side and be
grateful and thankful for the position that we're in to
be able to play.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Where's the key competition come from? Well, you've got Australia, Canada, Fiji, France,
Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, USA. Where are the threats?

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah, if I had to choose, my top three probably
would go towards Australia, Canada and probably a toss up
between France and Fiji. And I only say that because
Figura are on fire at the moment, like we played
them in New Zealand last month and they gave us
a good run for our money. So it's tough. I know,
great Broadain still building, Japan's always usually good all thereabouts,

(04:38):
so yeah, I mean in America, they've got a whole
new bunch of athletes coming through who probably an experience
in rugby, but they can run fast and that's what
you need right in seven. So it's going to be interesting.
And we obviously play France, Fiji and USA, so there's
no easy games and that's probably the difference of what
it is now. Usually play the bottom teams version then

(04:58):
you kind of work your way to the top, but
it's just straight France first, their top fourteen.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
It's going to be hard. What's been their primary focus
of training ahead of this week? The start of it
changed mostly in pre season with the last week. What
have been looking at last week?

Speaker 3 (05:13):
For us, it's been about keeping things simple and purely
because we have so many young ones now there's a
few of us who have been there around for a
few years and we know everything that we need to know.
But for then there's a lot of pressure. There's going
to be a lot of pressure. First of all putting
on the duties for the first time. Second of all,
playing a Dubai it's crazy atmosphere over here, and then
third of all trying to know all this stuff. So

(05:34):
we just want them to nail their key role and
trust the process, trust the game plan that if they
just bring what they can bring and their X vector
and their skill set, then everything should jell together. So
there hasn't been too much overthinking or over complicating things.
It's keep it simple.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
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