Chelsea Alley will line up in the No12 jersey for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Chelsea Alley will line up in the No12 jersey for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Chelsea Alley was thrown in the deep end.
Not long removed from playing schoolgirls rugby, Alley soon found herself immersed in the international game after spending a short time on the provincial stage.
It was a steep learning curve, and one that is a familiar story for many in thewomen's game. Now, Alley is one of the 46 women at the forefront of what could become the bridge between the two levels, lining up at second five-eighth for the Chiefs against the Blues in the first Super Rugby women's game at Eden Park this Saturday.
"That is the reason why I think this competition is so needed. At the moment we have FPC [Farah Palmer Cup], which is 12 teams across the country, and then the next step is Black Ferns. It seems like this big huge gap," Alley says.
"I had to learn a lot really quickly. I look back and think if there was this step of having a Super Rugby competition, I would have been a lot more prepared as to what a high-performance environment could look like before having to put the black jersey on.
"It was a massive step, but getting this tournament in place is going to help girls with the transition a lot more."
While this weekend's game between the Chiefs and Blues teams is a one-off fixture, there is the hope that a full women's competition can viably run from 2022.
Chelsea Alley (centre) was named vice captain for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
Alley, who now has 24 test caps, says a four-team competition would be an ideal starting point, featuring three from the North Island and one from the South Island, with a five-team competition to mirror that of the men's not yet viable.
"Initially four teams would work best of the women's competition," Alley explains.
"Only because if you look at the current FPC format, there would only be Otago to pick from for the Highlanders and that wouldn't be fair on them. For it to be a really meaningful competition, we'd want all of the games to be like the men's are – just absolute blockbusters where all the teams are so strong.
"So, in my opinion, three teams in the North Island and just one South Island team to begin with would be great, and then looking to build into that fifth franchise to replicate the men's."
Alley is one of five capped Black Ferns to feature in the Chiefs squad, while the Blues squad includes six capped international representatives.
The rest of the squads are comprised of top talent from the regions' provincial sides and some exciting young talents.
Alley, 28, says a full competition would be great for rugby in New Zealand, and would keep players like herself active for longer than they might otherwise be.
"Something like this is going to keep me around for a lot longer," she says. "I think I'll keep turning a blind eye to all the niggles and stuff that have been popping up if there's a chance to really get this Super Rugby tournament underway and be able to be a mainstay in the Chiefs for a few years. That would be an absolute dream."
Chelsea Alley will line up in the No12 jersey for the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
While the match is the first of its kind, Alley admits there might be some rust to dust off in the opening exchanges, but says the teams already had that feeling of the historic Blues and Chiefs rivalry, and plenty of banter has been flying back and forth in the build-up to the clash.
"Because of the short amount of time we've been together and, even for me personally – this is going to be my first game in six and a half months – there will be a bit of cobwebs being blown out, but you can't deny that the rivalry is already there and we're just going to go hammer and tongs to come away with the first ever women's Super Rugby win.
"Both teams are up for it, we can feel the excitement, we're all fizzing, so you're going to see some rugby that's just everyone giving 110 per cent, playing with mana and pride, and just an unreal amount of skill on the park. So, it'll be exciting and you won't want to miss out."
