Georgia Ponsonby will be back with the Black Ferns for the Pacific Four series before returning to the Ealing Trailfinders. Photo / AFP
On a morning stroll in London, Georgia Ponsonby did not expect she would find herself in the position she’s in after her move to Britain.
Off contract with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) after last year’s Rugby World Cup in England, the Black Ferns hooker opted to take up a fulltime contract with the Ealing Trailfinders in England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) competition.
With the PWR season running into June, it meant the 37-test veteran would not be available to play for the Black Ferns in the Pacific Four series in April. However, an injury-enforced need for another player at hooker in the squad for that series led to Ponsonby being a surprise recall for the April international window.
Ponsonby was granted an eligibility exemption by the NZR board and signed an interim contract for the month of the Pacific Four series. As it falls in the PWR international break – with two months between rounds 16 and 17 – it was an opportunity Ponsonby was happy to accept.
“The fact that there’s been injuries is the main reason, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be joining the group,” Ponsonby told the Herald.
“Hooker’s such a specialised position, so it’s not as easy to grow depth in that position. I mean to have more and more depth would be amazing, but that’s just the situation that we’re in at the moment.”
It’s a situation NZR could be open to exploring more in the women’s game moving forward.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB, NZR general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum said it might make sense to take a “slightly different approach” to eligibility exemptions for the top women players than that applied to the men’s game.
“A player’s long-term commitment, evidenced both through what they’ve done for us prior to going and then their intentions when they come back, is really important. It’d be fair to say that we’re also thoughtful about our eligibility criteria,” Lendrum said.
“We know that our players generally don’t play anywhere near the number of games per year that our competitors in England and France and even with Canada play. So we’re thoughtful about whether we need a slightly different approach for our leading women’s players as opposed to our leading men’s players at the moment, who get plenty of rugby during the course of the year.
“It’s not something that we’ve made any decisions about firmly, other than obviously the exception in Georgia’s case at the moment. But we’ll be reviewing everything once this campaign’s over and we see how the players return into New Zealand Rugby later in the year and it might be an opportunity that’s taken advantage of again in the future.”
Ponsonby was one of three Black Ferns to take up fulltime contracts in the PWR after last year’s World Cup, alongside lock and Trailfinders teammate Alana Borland and Exeter prop Amy Rule.
Other Black Ferns have also been playing in the English competition as injury replacements while remaining contracted with NZR, with co-captain Ruahei Demant (Bristol Bears), prop Tanya Kalounivale (Ealing Trailfinders), lock Maiakawanakaulani Roos (Ealing) and loose forward Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (Harlequins) all named in the Pacific Four squad, while Layla Sae was playing for Harlequins but was ruled out for the campaign because of an ACL injury.
While speaking to the Herald from London, Ponsonby couldn’t help but laugh as she crossed paths with Kalounivale and 20-test Black Fern Ruby Tui, perhaps an indication of the increase of Kiwis in the English competition.
“Oh my god, you wouldn’t believe it. I’m out on my walk and I’m just bumping into Tanya and Ruby Tui in bloody London.”
As for the rugby, Ponsonby said there was a rhythm that came with playing in a 20-week competition that was hard to compare to anything she’d experienced in New Zealand.
“It’s really good when you’ve got back-to-back games and you just get all of those little things right and then you kind of get into that flow state, which I guess, when you only play four, five games in a row at home and then it’s done and then you’re on a big break, it’s hard to get into that flow state,” she said.
“That’s what I’ve loved the most here; rugby’s just part of your life. The game is every Saturday and that’s what you’ve got to prepare for. I think that makes a huge difference. You just get a lot more consistency in your game.”
Ponsonby will return to the Trailfinders after the Pacific Four series, as the Ealing side looks to secure a spot in the top four and march into the post-season. Heading into the international break and with two rounds left of the regular season, the Trailfinders sat fourth on the ladder, with a four-point buffer over the fifth-placed Sale Sharks.
She did, however, expect to return to New Zealand once the PWR season was over.
“I’ll be coming back home. I don’t really want to look too far ahead.
“Obviously, I’m committed to my team here and hopefully my Trailfinders team can make the top four. So it depends on a lot of things, like how well my team goes over here, how long our season will last, etc. But I’m with the team until the end of June and then, we’ll come home and go from there.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.