For two years, Adam Julian tried to track down wily Black Fern No.2, Miriama Baker, for the Black Ferns A-Z encyclopaedia. But a LockerRoom story last week uncovered her whereabouts.
Now Baker tells Julian where she's been, why her club shunned her and what really happened when she went AWOL in Wales.
Miriama Baker was a prodigious sporting talent, who started at first five eighth for the New Zealand XV in their 13-7 win against the California Grizzlies in 1989. This was the first official match played by a New Zealand women’s rugby team.
From Manukau Rovers, Baker was the only non-Ponsonby or University of Canterbury selection in the game, of which Baker has fond memories.
“There’s no better feeling than pulling on the silver fern, it’s impossible to describe," she says. "We were the curtainraiser to the Canterbury versus Argentina match at Lancaster Park. It was a fantastic day and a fantastic game; those Americans were like running into brick shit-houses. They were tough girls, the people there were pleasantly surprised.
“I slotted in well, because I got on with the Ponsonby girls. They’d tried for years to poach me. I said no because you can’t have all the best players in your team.
“I was tactical. When I was playing all the coaches used to tell the girls they had to get me down no matter how because if they didn’t, there would be a try scored.”
The daughter of Edward (a weed sprayer turned publican, then prison officer) and Margie (a clothes maker from Ngāruawāhia), Miriama grew up surrounded by rugby. Her nine uncles all played in Te Awamutu, including Waikato and Maori All Black fullback Andrew Baker. Miriama played with boys until age 14, when she was told she couldn’t. Ironically, her brother Joe played netball.
Excluded from the oval ball game, she was good enough to achieve senior representative selection for Waikato in basketball, football and softball.
In football she was a “converted striker” who once bussed and sailed with the Auckland rep team to Blenheim to play in a national tournament for Waikato. A shortstop for Melville in softball, she once competed in a game that finished 1-0 after 16 innings and six hours.
Rugby resumed with a stint at the St Patrick’s club in Te Awamutu before she shifted north to Auckland to manage a drycleaning business. A friendly meeting at the pub persuaded her to join Manukau Rovers, where she was an absolute standout.
In 1989, Ponsonby were in the midst of an 86-game winning streak when they encountered Manukau in the senior womens’ Auckland final.
Paul Neazor reported at the time: “Ponsonby once again powered its way to an undefeated club title, which wasn’t a great shock to anyone. What was a surprise was the showing of rank outsiders Manukau, who almost upset the old order completely with a storming playoff run that Ponsonby only just snuffed out at the last hurdle, taking the final, 4-3, in what was definitely the club’s hardest match to date.” Baker missed a crucial kick towards the end of the game - a cruel ending for a player who’d been the catalyst for much of the Rovers’ success. “After that game, my team never spoke to me," Baker says. "I was basically ostracised because one of the other women said, ‘Oh I’ll take the kick’. I was the captain and the one doing the kicking so I took it.
“The kick was about 25 metres out, left-hand touchline. I tell ya, it was going over for all intents and purposes. At Cox's Creek, where we were playing, there was no wind when I set up the ball to kick it. I hit the ball, it was sweet and I was watching it and then there was a big gust of wind and the ball shaved the left-hand upright. “We were a good team, but they were so upset we didn't win. I didn't play for them again. The last time I was at the club was after the World Cup in '91 when I gave them a jersey.” Anne Fatialofa, wife of Manu Samoa legend the late Peter Fatialofa, played for Ponsonby that day: “I remember it. It was a relief to win. I felt for her [Baker] afterwards because she never missed. She was a beautiful player and enjoyed small talk over a beer after the game,” Fatialofa says. Baker successfully raised the $5000 required to be involved in the first women’s World Cup in the United Kingdom in 1991. She didn’t play in the tournament itself, but is listed in a diary supplied by New Zealand hooker Nicky Inwood as playing in warm-up games: a 12-0 win over Belmont Shore on Tuesday, March 26; a 22-0 win over Richmond RFC on April 2; and a 0-0 draw against Spain on April 4.
In a report after the tournament coach Laurie O’Reilly wrote: “Prior to departure, I had been given permission to delete Miriama Baker from the touring squad because of her failure to participate in training at Auckland. Before formal notification could be given to her, she paid her financial contribution and was considered by management that she could therefore not be deleted from the tour party.” Was the World Cup tour a negative experience for Baker? “Not at all. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have turned up to training more often. Laurie was a fantastic coach and he really cared about his players, taking an interest in your personal life. I had too much fun off the field, that was the problem,” Baker says.
"I banged on the bathroom windows and one of the girls was on the loo and she let me in" - Miriama Baker.
New Zealand centre Debbie Chase recalled an incident involving Baker after the Welsh game. “She was a quiet girl, but a real talent. I remember in one of the warm-up games she moved to fullback and played an absolute blinder. After the Welsh game, the Welsh really took her under their wing and she went AWOL. When she returned she was speaking Welsh and knew the words to their national anthem. She’d become the life of the party and after that I assumed she was Maori and that was hilarious.” Baker roared with laughter when reminded of the incident. “It was only one day!" she says. "What happened was the changing room was across the road from the park and in between the changing room and the park was a bar. The Welsh people said ‘come in, come in’. They wanted to talk to us at halftime. Then they asked what I drink and I said 'I drink scotch' and they asked 'how do you drink it?' And I said 'I drink it neat' and they asked me do I want ice and I said 'No I drink it neat'. I sculled that and went back to the game and afterwards got a guitar and hung out with the Welsh. “We were staying at Cardiff College, staggering back I was thinking how could I get in without the coaches seeing me. I banged on the bathroom windows and one of the girls was on the loo and she let me in.” Baker was the oldest tourist in the 1991 World Cup squad. In 1992, she moved to Australia, becoming a resident, and playing for Norths in Brisbane. Had she not blown a knee at training, an injury requiring four screws, she might have been picked for Australia for their first ever test against the Black Ferns in 1994. She returned to Auckland in 1995, and today Baker, now 59, is employed in justice. She gets to Eden Park "as often as possible for big games.” It took over two years for Baker to be found for an interview, until an article by Suzanne McFadden in LockerRoom highlighted her apparent disappearance. Miriama was tipped off to the article by her sister Linda Stanyer in Australia, and created a Twitter account (since removed) to contact allblacks.com. * Ponsonby had 19 players in the 1989 Auckland rep team, but Baker was officially named most valuable player. Auckland played six games that season, beating club side Tawa (70-0), provincial rivals Wellington (56-0) and Canterbury (18-16), while also accounting for a touring Boston side 11-0. Unfortunately, Auckland stumbled against the Californian Grizzlies (0-10) and England’s Richmond RFC (11-16). Richmond won all nine games on tour, including a victory over Canterbury. Richmond has since produced over 100 international players.
** The Black Ferns play their second test against the England Red Roses in Northampton, England, on Monday morning at 3.35am; live on Sky Sport 1.
