LESLEY ELDER

BLACK FERNS CAPTAIN SETS THE

STANDARDS ON AND OFF THE FIELD by PETER WHITE

Lesley Elder has more than one passion. She wants to win rugby games for her country, but she also wants the next generation of young women to be better people.

“I work in a space where I mentor and guide young female athletes aged 18 to 22 who have aspirations to succeed in rugby,” says the Black Ferns captain.

“A lot of these girls are dealing with lots of things in life. It is on the rugby field where actually they feel safest and where they express themselves. “Over the years I have been able to see what the game of rugby does for these young people. I use that as a catalyst to continue to empower them to become more than just a rugby player, through the learnings from the game – like teamwork, dealing with pressure and setbacks, and resilience.” A major milestone in the women’s game this year was the debut Super Rugby women’s match played between the Blues and the Chiefs. Elder says the Black Ferns players need that higher quality of rugby to get better as a team. “That game was a similar level of intensity as the Black Ferns playing Australia. It was a huge stepping stone and another layer that is crucial to the game’s growth and on-going development. “My big push is that we do it properly, so it is meaningful and really valuable for our women.” Elder made her Black Ferns debut as an athletic flanker in 2015 and became captain in 2019. She is a natural leader of the Volcanix, the Chiefs and Black Ferns. Her style of calm leadership, including making sure every single player in the group feels important, is fundamental to her success as a captain. With the Black Ferns set to play at home in next year’s Rugby World Cup, there will be added pressure on the team to perform. Elder says the group is progressing well to where they need to be. “After some hard conversations as a leadership group and setting some clear objectives in terms of what we want to achieve, we are making some really good progression. “Obviously COVID-19 has thrown a spanner for everyone in life, so we have had to deal with that. At times that has set us back a little. We have made some really good gains leading into the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC). The girls have gone away from the Black Ferns to focus solely on FPC and we will be catching up again towards the end of the competition.” Elder took time off rugby last year to have her first baby, a beautiful daughter. She is full of praise for the work done by the New Zealand Rugby Players Association and New Zealand Rugby to support mothers and their babies while maintaining the needs of the squad. It is a portent to the future and how players can feel comfortable with how the system works to support them. “I was really fortunate the Parental Leave policy came in place, so I was lucky I was able to get the full support of the Black Ferns and my provincial union. “There is still a huge area to learn and grow in that space. Obviously there have only been a few of us that have had children in the Black Ferns and returned to high-performance rugby. “The fact there is a policy in place to support us to have a baby while playing rugby is great and we are pretty fortunate.”

LESLEY ELDER (NÉE KETU) #188

PLACE OF BIRTH: TAUMARUNUI DATE OF BIRTH: 10 JANUARY 1987 AGE: 34 HEIGHT: 1.66m WEIGHT: 62kg POSITION: LOOSE FORWARD PROVINCE: BAY OF PLENTY VOLCANIX SUPER RUGBY: CHIEFS BLACK FERNS DEBUT: v CANADA IN CALGARY,

27 JUNE 2015

BLACK FERN TESTS: 18 BLACK FERN POINTS: 10