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A video of New Zealand Women’s Sevens star Jorja Miller caught my eye and I was impressed with her skill level, which led me to discover one of the great talents in Women’s Sevens Rugby, 27-year-old Michaela Blyde.
Excuse me for recognising her so late, Blyde has only been on the international stage for about ten years now! And in that time she has lost little of her blistering speed. If you want to treat yourself to running rugby of the highest order, watch her highlights reel, it is impressive.
Let us put the speed aside for a second and talk about her other attacking weapons, the footwork is superb – sidestep, stutter step, she has it all. Add in a strong fend, a dummy pass and brilliant defence, and you have the complete package. Her smashing tackle on an Australian player can be seen here where she annihilates her, well set up with a hospital pass mind you.
Blyde uses her speed to cut down potential try scorers, knowing they cannot outpace her. Yes, the speed, you cannot beat watching a fast winger receive the ball, secure it under one arm and sprint to the try-line, believing they are back competing in the 100m on an athletics track.
Blyde was brought up on a diet of sports, including athletics, rugby and football, with a strong influence from her parents Stephen and Cherry. She dabbled in touch rugby when young but dropped that for football when tackling was encountered and returned to rugby in her teenage years. Blyde competed in the New Zealand Secondary Schools championships for the 100 and 200 metres in 2010.
Her first real step to prominence came when she attended a “Go for Gold” trial to encourage females to aim for the Rio Olympics in sevens. Her dream of representing New Zealand was closer to fruition when at the age of seventeen debuted for the New Zealand Sevens team at the 2013 Oceania Women’s Sevens in Noosa.
Blyde made the Rio Olympics but as a non-playing reserve which was a huge disappointment to her as she was in the squad but really for the experience. She used it to better her overall performance, culminating in being named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year. She repeated this feat in 2018 and then won gold medals at both the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens. Other career highlights include gold at the Tokyo Olympics, bronze at Birmingham Commonwealth Games and silver at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town. The Black Ferns recently won their fourth consecutive title in Vancouver, beating Australia in the final.
From an early age in her hometown of New Plymouth, Blyde was teased about her body shape, being quite muscular and competitive with the boys. This perceived weakness has become her greatest strength with continued gym work ensuring she has lasted a decade at the top of her sport.
She is acknowledged as being a mainstay of the Black Ferns team and credits visualisation for her success. Imagining tries scored, tackles made and goals achieved. Her natural speed has been a blessing with 20 miles per hour hit at the Dubai Sevens. If she gets the ball in open space, you can kiss her goodbye as Blyde is one of the fastest rugby players around.
She admits there is still persistent sexism around, saying “You get your smart***es on the internet who say we look like men and play like men, and that we shouldn’t be playing rugby because it’s not feminine,” but she doesn’t let it bother her.
She compares contrasting stories with her mother Cherry on how female rugby has changed. Cherry remembers as a girl they were banned from playing rugby in schools – oh how times have changed.
Blyde is one of the most talented rugby players to watch and enjoy, skills that are of the highest standard. One thing I noticed about the Women’s Sevens is the pure joy that emanates from the players, but the game is still played with serious commitment.
Nobody better emphasises this commitment than Blyde – I wish I had been a follower earlier.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.