Alana Bremner Named Matatū captain
Alana Bremner has again been named Matatū’s captain for the second season of Super Rugby Aupiki, with the honour of leading Matatū not being lost on the World Cup winner.
“It’s an absolute privilege to be captaining matatu again this year. We’ve got an awesome bunch of girls behind me and even in these last weeks we’ve seen a huge amount of leadership through some of the young ones feeling like they can lead in some spaces which has been really cool to see.”
Bremner will be well supported by her pair of Black Fern Vice-Captains, with Renee Holmes and Kendra Reynolds being selected to help lead the South Island’s team,
“The two that really stuck out for me were Renee Holmes and Kendra Reynolds. They both lead hugely in their own spaces – in their defence and attack – I think they can really provide support to me in areas I need to grow in, but also areas I know they’ll give a lot to the group. Ren, she’s absolute class on and off the field, and I think the way she goes and displays what she does out in the field is pretty incredible. She naturally leads that way.”
Renee Holmes
“Kendra Reynolds, if you know her, you know the intensity she brings, she’s the hype-woman of the group. I’ve been playing with her for a long time, and she shows a lot of grit and has overcome a lot in her rugby journey and I think that’s pretty inspiring for the girls to be able to follow.”
Kendra Reynolds
Speaking on her own leadership style, Bremner wants to make sure she looks out for the younger players in Matatū’s squad,
“I just like to try lead from the front as well as I can, make sure I do everything to be the best I can be on the field, and empower the girls around me – especially the young ones coming through – I just want to make sure everyone has a voice and feels comfortable.”
Bremner has had no shortage of fantastic captains during her career to draw inspiration from, something she is very grateful for.
“I’ve been very lucky with the role models I’ve had growing up. Probably my leadership comes from different people, different experiences, some captains I’ve had, Ruahei Demant has awesome. Steph Te Ohaere Fox, she was my first captain when I came into the canterbury team. Just the way she leads, she’s an absolute natural and she’s also one who empowers the people around her.”
“It’s an ongoing journey and I’m hoping to be the best I can. And I’ve got a long way to go but I have the right people around me.”
The culture in the Matatū camp is at an all-time high, something Bremner says is down to the people working behind the scenes with the team.
“The team has connected probably the best I’ve been in a team. The vibes are really good, everyone is really excited. Having home games, getting to play here in the South Island is going to be really special. The girls are fizzing.”
“Driving the culture really comes down to all the management doing an awesome job. Blair drove a lot of that over the break while Whit (Whitney Hansen) and TC (Tony Christie) had some other awesome coaching gigs. Jessie, our mental skills coach, she’s also a huge part of that. Everyone chips in and does their part they all work together really well.”
One of the matchups to keep an eye on this Super Rugby Aupiki will be when Matatū play the Chiefs Manawa, where both Bremner sisters will face off against each other. Alana and Chelsea’s careers have gone hand in hand for much of their professional rugby life and the novelty of playing against each other is something Alana believes will be interesting.
“We’ve spent the last three or four years living together, driving to training together, eating together, pretty much doing everything together so it’s going to be quite interesting. I’m still not sure what the feelings will be like the week of the game, I’m just really happy for her, she’s loving it up there and I can’t wait to see her thrive in that environment.”
Speaking of the team’s hopes for the season, Bremner is hoping the team can make their mark and show the nation what Matatū can do.
“I really want to take this team all the way to the top. We definitely have it in us. We have the team, we have the resource, we’ve got the passion amongst the group.”
“I’m really excited to see everyone grow as players on and off the field. Hopefully Matatū can be a place that people want to come to, people want to come back to, and I think it’s going to be a really exciting year for everyone involved.”