Rugby World Cup
Hazel Tubic is back, playing for a second Rugby World Cup title more than a decade after her Black Ferns debut. And her smart thinking and dependable boot may be just what they need, writes Suzanne McFadden.
Hazel Tubic is a little cranky, but also a little mortified.
When she got her black jersey on the eve of the Pacific Four Series last month, some of her Black Ferns teammates recognized that it had been a while since she last donned the jersey for a test match.
Five years, to be exact, since she last played as a fullback against Hong Kong at the 2017 World Cup in Ireland. “Time flies so fast that you forget how long it has been,” Tubic says.
But then one of the young rookies in the latest National Team came up and asked 31-year-old Tubic if this was indeed her first time in the Black Ferns.
“And I said, ‘Oh no, I debuted a while ago,'” she laughs. “And that made me feel really old.”
Eleven years ago, to be exact, since she played her first Test for New Zealand in 2011, against England.
But when Tubic ran onto the pitch in the torrential rain last month and slipped seamlessly into the Black Ferns backline against Australia, she felt like she was starting over.
“When you’re on the pitch, it feels like the first time again because you’re so excited to be there and represent your country,” Tubic says. And even though it was cold and wet, and her return to international rugby – just after half-time – left her feeling a little taken aback? “I loved every moment.”
The Te Kauwhata farm girl wasn’t expecting much playtime in the series, calling late into the squad when young top five Patricia Maliepo was ruled out with a concussion.
But when Tubic made 10 in each of the three tests (making the base 15 against Canada, inside captain Ruahei Demant at number 12), she immediately brought calmness and consistency to the team – not to mention a powerful kicking shoe.
There’s no doubt that the 14-test utility back boosted her chances of making the Black Ferns squad for their World Cup defense – their first on home soil – in October. That’s the only reason the former Counties Heat captain returned to the international game.
She will put it all on the line tonight in the Black Ferns trial match in Pukekohe, her home ground.
Try again
After the Black Ferns recovered ‘Nancy’ – their code name for the World Cup trophy – in Belfast in 2017, Tubic thought her days in the black jersey were over.
“I had that great opportunity to be part of a team to win the World Cup, so I went abroad to play and thought I had done my time in the black jersey,” she says.
“I had accepted that this was the end.”
Tubic played professional sevens rugby for the Blue Angels in Nagato, Southern Japan, and loved it. She had been a Black Ferns Sevens player earlier in her career, winning the World Cup in 2013 with her ‘Sevens Sisters’.
And then, in 2020, Tubic got a proposal from the Black Ferns coaching team.
“They asked if I’d like to come back and try again. At first I thought: I really like playing in Japan,” she says.
“Then I left and thought about it – playing in a World Cup, in front of your own crowd. So many black ferns over the years would have jumped at the chance to play in a World Cup in New Zealand. So I thought I’d take that opportunity didn’t really have to throw it away when it’s in front of me.
‘I decided, yes, I’m going to try. I will give everything. If I make it, that’s great – and if I don’t, I don’t make it. I tried anyway.”
So after her third season of sevens in Japan in 2020, Tubic came home and signed with NZ Rugby until the end of the World Cup (to be played in 2021 at the time).
“When it was postponed for a year, I could have gone back to Japan for another season. But I had been home for a year and a half and had done all the work to make it to the World Cup, so I wouldn’t throw that away,” she says.
But she hopes to return to Japan someday, more likely as a coach. “I’m coming to the end of my playing days and my club in Japan said they would be happy to help me get into a coaching role if I decided to go down that road,” she says.
“But for now I want to keep playing as long as possible.”
A new kick from the training
Since Tubic became a full-time Black Fern, one of 29 players signed in February, a whole new world of training has opened up to her.
“It’s the one-on-one skill time we’re getting now,” she says. “There are new coaches coming and teaching us different things, a new set of ways of doing things.
“It’s always good when someone else adjusts something, and that suits you better. It’s been really good for the girls to get those little skills.”
One of those adaptations was Tubic’s kick game. The utility back proved to be the most successful conversion kicker for the Black Ferns in the Pacific Four, converting three tries in the final test against the United States.
But it’s her kick on the playing field where Tubic has really stepped up under the Black Ferns’ new coach, Wayne Smith.
“The way Smithy likes to play uses a slightly different spade than most teams use,” she says. “It gave us the opportunity to learn a few different kicking styles, which was really cool.
“We’re just focusing on those skills that we used to do for fun and they’re really in our game plan now. We’ve had real kicking coaches who put the time and effort into us. As a number 10 or fullback you must be able to kick.
“I haven’t practiced kicking the goal much, but the general field kicking work helps with my consistency because you hit the ball, you get used to that move.”
Over the past few seasons, as she led the Counties Heat charge with her clever kicking game, Tubic has discovered what works best for her kicking between the posts.
“I’ve been working on the limits you have and finding the right places on the pitch to kick from. If I kick out of this corner, I’d better go back or closer,” she says.
“Sometimes as a kicker you learn by watching TV and copying what they do, but that may not work for you. For the past few years I’ve been figuring out what works best for me.
“I just enjoy goal kicks anyway – and it doesn’t have to be in a match. I’m just going to score a few goals for fun.”
Hazel Tubic’s kick match was an integral part of Chiefs Manawa’s victory in Super Rugby Aupiki this year.
Tubic is delighted to work with the new Black Ferns coaching staff, who came into the game in April and brought a new atmosphere.
“Everyone knows the caliber of coaches that they are. And Smithy really brings enthusiasm and fun to the team,” she says. “He still tells us when we’re doing something wrong – he doesn’t cover it up. But the girls say ‘Sweet’ and really take the feedback into account, because we want to learn, we always try to get better.’
Turn up the heating
Tubic lives on her family’s dairy farm in Te Kauwwata, northern Waikato, the same farm she grew up on. Her parents, a sister and her family also still live there.
In the summer, Tubic puts on her wellington boots and helps out on the farm. But with calving season fast approaching, the busiest time of the farming year, Tubic has been given leave to help – as it’s also the busiest time on the 2022 rugby calendar.
“I’ve been trying to get closer to where we train for a while, but it’s getting easier to stay on the farm eventually,” she says. She drives to Hamilton to train at the Black Ferns hub, but drives the other way to train with the Heat. “So I live between the two,” she says.
“The farm is a good place to get away from rugby and enjoy the quiet, peaceful life.” She also likes to babysit her nieces.
Tubic is excited to play for Counties-Manukau again when the Farah Palmer Cup kicks off next weekend. The winner of the inaugural Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal for FPC Player of the Year in 2017, she is also the leading points scorer in Heat history.
“It’s great that they’ve encouraged us to go back and play for our provinces all season,” she says. “Even if we could only play one game I would still take the chance – I love playing for Counties.
“It’s so good for the younger girls to get in touch with more of us full-time rugby players, and hopefully it drives them to want that opportunity.”
Four of the Heat players are part of the 46 in tonight’s Black Ferns trial. Tubic, halfback Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu and winger Ruby Tui play for Rawata (coached by Crystal Kaua and James Semple); prop Leilani Perese turns out for Ngalingali (coached by Anna Richards).
“You feel that everyone wants to put their best foot forward, because nobody knows for sure that they will play at the World Cup. So everyone is strengthened,” she says.
Tubic’s ability to play in a variety of positions, from first-five to fullback, makes her a valuable proposition for a World Cup squad.
She admits she is most comfortable at number 10, where she has played most of her rugby, but she likes parts of the fullback where she can attack more. “When you’re ten, you’re more of a feeder, communicator, and director. Fullback gives you more of a license to try it,” she says.
“Being a utility company has its perks, but being a specialist allows you to focus on that one place, which gives you a better chance of making it to the starting 15. But being in 23 is also great. At the end of the day, whatever role puts me on the team and on the pitch, I’m happy to play.”
Tubic is pleased to have re-applied whether or not she makes the cut for Black Ferns’ World Cup side.
“It was great to witness what has happened in the team over the past few months,” she says. “Many girls who haven’t played rugby in New Zealand for a while have had their doors opened and that has brought a cool feel to women’s rugby. It’s cool to be a part of that.”
* The Black Ferns trial, Rawata v Ngalingali, starts Friday at 7:05 PM at the Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe, with live coverage on Sky Sport 1.