Rugby concussion for men sits around 13.8 suspected concussions per thousand playing hours, and in the women's game it's about 20.8. Research undertaken by the University of Otago of Kiwi rugby players, on top of international research, shows female rugby players tend to be at a higher risk of concussion than male. Photo: Getty Images.Ĭoncussion remains a serious issue in sport in New Zealand, and rugby tops the list in ACC claims for concussion. And so I just knuckled down and did the hard work to get back here.” Black Fern wing Ayesha Leti-I'iga attempts to leap over Canada's Elissa Alarie in their Pacific Four match in Auckland. “I knew I could either keep going downhill or go back up from this. “That was a real eye-opener because I didn’t want to take his name in vain. Is this what your grandad would have wanted for you?’,” Leti-I’iga recalls. “Nana just told me straight: ‘Where do you want to go in life? You’re not going down the right path. I really thought I wouldn’t be able to put the black jersey on again.”īut then a “good chat” with her grandmother, Salafa, turned her around. And I turned to alcohol to try to solve my problems. “So I didn’t cope as well as I thought I would. With him not being here, it was hard to find my love for rugby again,” she says. “It was really hard for me because rugby was our thing. She had a special bond with her grandparents, who are from the Samoan village of Lalomauga on Upolu. But especially her grandad, who she’s always called her “coach off the field”. Leti-I’iga was raised by her grandparents after her mum, Mary Asolupe Leti-I’iga was tragically struck by a car in 2009. What made it tougher for Leti-I’iga to cope was that she was already grieving the death of her beloved grandad, Faaui. “I had sharp headaches which made me sleep more, because I couldn't bare the pain when I was awake.” I slept most of the day, and I was barely eating,” she says. “As the days went by, I started getting sensitivity to light and I was really tired throughout the day. Photo: ACC NZ.īut it turned out she had delayed concussion, and a major one at that. “I had a headache after the game and thought nothing of it,” the 23-year-old says.Īyesha Leti-I'iga has played 14 tests for the Black Ferns since her 2018 debut. Playing for her Ories (Oriental Rongotai) club side - where she's famous for repeatedly scoring five or more tries in a game - Leti-I’iga made a tackle but went in headfirst. Standing at just 1.65m, she was proud to be “different to other wingers” and stuck to her grandfather’s advice to always be fearless in a game.īut then the Porirua-born Samoan’s progression came to a sudden halt – when her head hit another player in a club match in 2020. Yet it wasn’t that long ago, Leti-I’iga believed she’d never get to pull on the black jersey again.Īnd she’s forever grateful to the grandmother who raised her for helping to pull her out of a downward spiral.Ī Black Fern since she was 19 back in 2018, Leti-I’iga quickly stamped her mark on the Black Ferns as an exciting try scorer and a powerful and deceptive runner with the ball. She’s never been as fit or enjoyed her rugby so much, she admits, before the Black Ferns' final game against the United States on Saturday. The Black Ferns’ weapon on the left wing, Leti-I’iga scored twice in the opening match of their Pacific Four campaign, a win against Australia, a fortnight ago, and was player of the match in last weekend’s victory over Canada. To see Ayesha Leti-I’iga crashing through tackle after tackle, or her scorching pace kicking in and leaving defenders flailing, or laughing with her new buddy, Ruby Tui, as they practise their chip kicks, you’d have no idea of the pain and torment she's been through. But with the support of family – and a close bond with Ruby Tui – she’s back to her explosive best. Rugby Nana and Tui help Black Ferns wing love rugby againĬaught in a downward spiral after a major concussion, Black Ferns scoring machine Ayesha Leti-I’iga thought she’d never wear the black jersey again.
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