From the rugby field to the classroom – enhancing our mahi

This Olympics, Unitec Sports and Recreation lecturer Chantal Bakersmith will be keenly watching the Women’s Rugby Sevens take to the field after spending time with the teams while they trained under Covid restrictions.

Outside of her work with Unitec, Chantal has been heavily involved in women’s rugby since high school, first as a player and then on the development side with Auckland and New Zealand Rugby.

This led to her working as the liaison officer to the Australian Women’s Rugby Seven’s team when they played in New Zealand in May as part of the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.

Chantal says it was a great opportunity for her.

“I love team environments, observing team dynamics and learning about the different components that make a good team work, especially in sport. This Liaison role was extra special because it was part of the build up to the Olympics. Being able to work with and see how the best teams in the world operate was really insightful. Experiences and roles like these, I think, bring some credibility to me for my students/tauira as their lecturer.”

On the way to training!

She says experience like this is vital, and not just for sports lecturers. “Any knowledge I have in the industry, I bring to the classroom to share with my students. My professional development enhances my teaching.”

Covid restrictions meant both the Australian and New Zealand Women’s and Men’s teams prepared together in a Trans-Tasman bubble, playing in tournaments to emulate the Olympic experience. This saw them compete against the Black Ferns across three days, which included exhibition fixtures before and after a Blues’ game at Eden Park in Auckland.

The next stage of the competition was across the Tasman, where the men’s and women’s teams representing Fiji, New Zealand and Australia met in Townsville to compete in the Oceania Sevens.

The tournament, in which each team played six matches, provided the Australian, Fijian and New Zealand teams with another chance to have meaningful matches ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Although Chantal’s loyalties lie with the Black Ferns, she says her experience with the Australian team means she will be watching the tournament with great interest to see how all the Oceania teams fare.

“The Black Ferns  are sooo good! In their skills and especially their culture, I got to witness this first-hand and it was impressive, really quite inspiring. The Black Ferns and the Aussies are equal favourites for Gold, however, this is the Olympics and anything could happen.

Even though the Black Ferns beat the Aussies in both build up comps, you wouldn’t wipe them out. They are gutsy and skilled, and they are the 2016 Olympic champions. Yet sometimes the pressure of expectations can be too much for a team to handle. I’m not too familiar with the other Nations who could be under-dog threats, so we’ll see what happens!”