Chelsea Semple in action for the Chiefs Manawa in 2021. Photo / Photosport
Chelsea Semple in action for the Chiefs Manawa in 2021. Photo / Photosport
Chiefs Manawa back Chelsea Semple (nee Alley) is ready for the 2024 Sky Super Rugby Aupiki season after returning from maternity leave - although originally she wasn’t sure that she would be back.
The 31-year-old made her Black Ferns debut 10 years ago and has amassed 29 tests,while also representing Auckland, North Harbour, Waikato and the Chiefs Manawa. She hasn’t played since August 2022.
Having spent some time as a Sky Sport presenter, she is ready to be back on the field and involved with her rugby whānau.
“It’s huge for me. I spent last season in the management group, just learning what goes on behind the scenes. I was pregnant at the time obviously,” Semple said.
“I wasn’t sure if I would come back but seeing my team run out on the field and at training, I just got such itchy feet. Coming back, for me, I know it’s what I want to do. I’ve realised that rugby is my passion. I’m excited to get back out there and see what I can still do. I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”
Husband James is a coach at Major League Rugby side Rugby New York, so it will be a juggle for Semple with her daughter Cami but with how accommodating the Chiefs Rugby Club have been, it doesn’t faze her.
“I’m going to lean on my village a lot, and the girls in the team and the whole management.”
“[The Chiefs Rugby Club is a] whānau to me. I think learning about the jersey, seeing the work and the story that’s embedded in the jersey just really encapsulates what the Chiefs are all about.
“We’re not just representing ourselves, we’re representing our family, our region, everything that happens around us. It’s more than just the team that’s taking the field, we take everyone with us.
“There’s such a rich history within the Chiefs Rugby Club. The culture here is one of the most special that I’ve ever been part of which is why I wanted to be back for it.”
Semple said motherhood had given her a newfound respect for other athletes who are mothers.
Returning Chiefs Manawa player Chelsea Semple (left) is excited to get back on the field in 2024. Photo / Jesse Wood
“Looking back, I realise what a selfish athlete I was. I’d moan if I didn’t get my eight hours [sleep] or I was a bit tired. Looking back, all the mums that I’ve played with or trained with, I just have a whole new respect for them, because you can’t put yourself first anymore, you’ve got to put your baby first, you want to put your baby first.
“There’s a whole lot more to just showing up and training and playing now. I think that in itself, is going to make me a better athlete, a better person and a better teammate. [I’ve got] max respect for any female athlete out there that’s a mum because it’s incredible what they have to do.”
She says that in her time playing the sport, the thing she is most proud of is the increase in publicity for the women’s game.
“When I was a little girl wanting to be a Black Fern but knowing nothing about it, you’d never see them on TV, but now they’re superstars selling out stadiums and fully professional.
“There’s pathways for young girls now which is so important. But it’s still not enough, there needs to be a whole lot more girls that are full-time professionals because the gap is getting too big. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s just so great to see the progress.”
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.
