Comment: When my son was growing up, I coached his junior rugby teams.
Back then, we had one, maybe two girls playing alongside the boys in the rippa grades. Today, many of those same clubs now have dedicated girls’ teams across multiple age grades.
It reinforces something I strongly believe: pathways matter.
When young girls can see role models like the Black Ferns, and when there are clear opportunities to progress from junior rugby through to the highest level, participation grows.
Confidence grows. Communities grow. That’s exactly why partnerships like this are so important.
Every Black Fern starts somewhere—at a school, club or in the community.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant shift in the way New Zealanders engage with women’s rugby. More people are watching, more girls are participating, and more athletes are being recognised than ever before.
While the quality and commitment of our female athletes has never been in doubt, increased visibility, investment and support are helping unlock the game’s potential. That progress is worth celebrating – but it’s also something we need to keep building.
That’s why 2degrees has made the largest sporting investment in our history through our new partnership with New Zealand Rugby. It exceeds our other major sporting partnerships, reflecting both the scale of the opportunity and our belief in the future of women’s rugby.
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And it supports different elements of the rugby ecosystem, from rugby programmes to the elite teams.
The progress we are seeing across women’s rugby already has shown what is possible when investment and opportunity come together – since 2018, New Zealand Rugby’s investment in women’s rugby has grown by more than 300 per cent, with $33 million being invested into women’s rugby this year alone.
This is already creating tangible opportunities for the women’s game. We’re seeing bigger crowds, stronger digital audiences and more opportunities for elite competition than ever before. On the field, the game has never offered more opportunity either; with a new global calendar, expanded international competitions, and the Black Ferns set to play a record 11 test matches in 2026.
Most importantly, however, this growth at the elite level gives more girls the confidence to see rugby as a game where they can belong and thrive, which is why we’re proud to be backing a continued, long-term growth area for players who are building the game today, and to the next generation who will carry it forward.
In 2025 more than 200 new players attended the regional Next Ferns programme, while the inaugural Under 18 North v South programme created a dedicated high-performance environment for the country’s most promising young players. These initiatives help ensure the next generation has clear opportunities to progress.
This builds on our SupportHER platform, through which we’ve backed initiatives including the Tania Dalton Foundation, Super Rugby Aupiki, the Tall Ferns and Basketball New Zealand programmes – all designed to create more opportunities for women and girls in sport.
Fighting for Fair has always been about backing positive change where it’s needed most. We saw that when 2degrees entered New Zealand’s telecommunications market – challenging the status quo through long-term investment and a different way of thinking. Building women’s rugby requires the same commitment. Meaningful change doesn’t happen in a single season; it happens through sustained support over many years.
The same is true in sport. Building a stronger women’s rugby system will not happen through one event, or one season. It requires sustained support for players, coaches, communities and programmes at every level of the game.
Women’s rugby has enormous momentum, and sustaining that progress will take long-term commitment. The next generation needs to see that rugby is a game where they belong, with pathways that help them grow and communities that believe in their potential.
The 2Degrees partnership with NZ Rugby, signed in July 2026, is for three years.