The Black Ferns swapped stadium lights for a school field, inspiring students with a surprise training session.

Cheers and wide-eyed excitement rippled across Te Kura o Matapihi on Monday as the Black Ferns took to the field in front of an audience of future players.

Students and kaiako (teachers) welcomed the team with a waiata, followed by a thank you from player Katelyn Vaha’akolo.

The team then responded with a waiata of their own, before beginning training.

Students, many of whom already played rugby themselves, described the experience as “exciting”, with some eager to pick up some “cool moves” from the team.

Marihi Fox, 9, said he had played rugby for “three or four years” and wanted to get some advice on how to do “better tackles”.

“I want to see some cool moves, some that we’ve never seen before.

“I think it’s really cool that they chose our school, even though there are millions of other schools they could go to.”

Te Iria Te Kakau, 10, said watching the Black Ferns train showed her that girls can be just as strong as boys.

“It’s very exciting, I’ve watched heaps of their games and my favourite thing is how they’re strong and they’re not boys, they’re girls.”

Te Iria said she had been playing rugby for two years and she loved tackling people.

Te Kura o Matapihi kaiako Aroha Munkedal (left), with students Marihi Fox, 9 (centre) and Te Iria Te Kakau, 10. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

She wanted to learn how to do “some intercepts” and said she was planning to ask the players how to be fast.

“We [girls] can be just as strong as boys.”

The students had made signs for the team, proudly holding them up and cheering as the Black Ferns trained on the school’s field.

Kaiako Aroha Munkedal said the visit was “very inspiring” for the school community.

“It’s just the visualness and physicalness of seeing them, rather than seeing them on TV. It’s very different having an experience like this.”

She said it was a “bit of surprise” for the school and they had to keep it under wraps for a couple of days.

Black Ferns training at Te Kura o Matapihi. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

“It’s awesome to see the wāhine Māori in sport who are doing so well and have reached the pinnacle of Aotearoa, they’re on the world stage.”

Munkedal said seeing the team in person made a “huge difference” to the students’ outlooks and taught them how wāhine had to work hard to get where they were.

“Having the Black Ferns come to our little kura here in Tauranga Moana, where you wouldn’t expect them to come, we feel really privileged.”

The training session was organised through connections with the Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards Trust, and chief executive Dick Garratt helped bring the team to the kura.

Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards chief executive Dick Garratt with his wife Desrae Garratt, who attended Te Kura o Matapihi as a student. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

He said the goal was to give students a rare opportunity to witness what it took to reach the top level of sport – and to inspire them to pursue their own goals.

“These girls have had their own trials and tribulations to get where they are today. They are world champions, Olympic champions, and so they’re showcasing that here today.

“To see them in person and how they go through their training is an outstanding inspiration for our tamariki.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.