Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant will celebrate her 50-Test milestone in her team’s World Cup semifinal against canada on Saturday and said her thoughts over the past few days have centred on the performance required for the knockout match and the friends she has made over her rugby journey.
Demant, whose place in the match-day squad in Bristol will be confirmed early tomorrow NZT, will become only the third Black Fern to achieve the milestone after halfback Kendra Cocksedge (68 Tests) and hooker Fiao’o Fa’amausili (58).The first-five made her international debut in 2018 and achieved World Cup glory in 2022 when she helped New Zealand to a grand final victory over England at eden Park before being recognised with the World Rugby women’s player of the year award.
Ruahei Demant to celebrate 50 games right as side embarks on RWC semis – Watch on TVNZ+
In an interview with 1News’ London-based reporter Kate nicol-Williams, demant reflected on her journey.
“I haven’t taken much time to think about the milestone – my focus has predominantly been on the game and my role in the plan,” Demant said.”My immediate thoughts – I just think about all the friends that I’ve made and the people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with that have helped me grow as a person and a player.”
Black Ferns co-Captain Ruahei demant Set to Reach 50 Test Milestone at World Cup Semifinal
Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant is poised to become the third player in team history to reach 50 test caps when she leads her team against Canada in the rugby World Cup semifinal. 1News reports that this milestone will be celebrated on the field.
Despite acknowledging the team hasn’t yet played a complete 80-minute game at the tournament, Demant expressed confidence in the Black Ferns’ progress. She highlighted improvements in discipline and handling errors as indicators of their building momentum. 1News notes that New zealand boasts a proud history in the tournament, having secured six victories – far surpassing the next most successful team, England, with two wins.
“We know we’re not going to play our best 80-minute rugby at the start of the tournament,” Demant stated. “We know we’re building towards that complete performance. We’ve seen from our stats as the games have gone on that our discipline has gotten better, our handling errors have been fewer… that will contribute to stacking together a more complete performance.”
Demant emphasized the team’s potential,adding,”It’s a great place to be – knowing we haven’t played to our full potential yet. We understand what’s required in those moments.”
The Black Ferns co-captain,originally from the small coastal town of Ōmāio in the eastern Bay of Plenty,reflected on her journey.Speaking about representing her community on a global stage, she shared, “I think about that girl often, especially when we come to big cities, big stadiums where there are thousands of people and I think to myself, ‘I’m just a girl from Ōmāio and look where I am now’.”
Demant also acknowledged the support system that enabled her success, stating, “I know I’m fortunate to be here and I’m the product of the support I’ve had from my community and parents and grandparents and the clubs I’ve represented. I know I’m a role model for my nieces and nephews who want to be not just Black Ferns but who have all these crazy dreams.” She is also fluent in te reo Māori.
For a full interview with Ruahei Demant, tune into 1News tonight at 6pm. 1News