{"id":10229,"date":"2021-07-13T17:25:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T05:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/?p=10229"},"modified":"2021-07-13T17:25:43","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T05:25:43","slug":"canadian-international-nelles-locking-in-canterbury-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/2021\/07\/13\/canadian-international-nelles-locking-in-canterbury-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian international Nelles locking in Canterbury career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Above: The Canterbury Women&#8217;s rugby team last year after winning their fourth consecutive Farah Palmer Cup title. PHOTO: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Canterbury-Womens-FPC-Rugby-163877145960\">Canterbury Women&#8217;s FPC Facebook<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#wpls-logo-showcase-slider-1 .wpls-fix-box,\n\t\t\t#wpls-logo-showcase-slider-1 .wpls-fix-box img.wp-post-image{max-height:250px; }\n\t\t<\/style>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wpls-wrap wpls-logo-showcase-slider-wrp wpls-logo-clearfix wpls-design-1 \" data-conf=\"{&quot;slides_column&quot;:4,&quot;slides_scroll&quot;:1,&quot;dots&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;arrows&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;autoplay_interval&quot;:3000,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;rtl&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:800,&quot;center_mode&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpls-logo-showcase logo_showcase wpls-logo-slider  sliderimage_hide_border \" id=\"wpls-logo-showcase-slider-1\" >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.roblawmax.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/rmax24.jpg?fit=220%2C120&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeksonwheels.co.nz\/locations\/wellington-computer-repair\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/images.jpg?fit=296%2C170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/thecallcentre.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/TCC-Logo-400x260-1.jpg?fit=400%2C260&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.partnersfinance.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/part2.jpg?fit=300%2C195&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>By Adam Julian<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cindy Nelles arrived in New Zealand in August 2018 with a big reputation. Since 2014 she had been a Canadian international, and a year earlier had competed at the World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>A text she sent to the Canterbury coach asking for a place in the team went without reply.<\/p>\n<p>Three years later, in the 2020 Farah Palmer Cup final, Canterbury secured a fourth consecutive National title with an 8-7 win against Waikato. Nelles scored the winning try in the 81st minute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a moment of clarity in a match where there weren\u2019t many. What is going to happen if we lose, I kept thinking? We lost the lineout and then we got it back. I tried to focus on my role. I saw a gap in front of me and was hoping Kendra (Cocksedge) saw it too. Pip Love was on her inside. It was six of one, half a dozen of the other with two forwards to pass too. When I got the ball and hit the hole it was pretty surreal. There was lots of celebrating afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clubrugby.co.nz\/national\/clubs-teams-people.php?person_id=11042\">Nelles has played 15 games for Canterbury without defeat<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe culture is right up there with the best I\u2019ve been a part of. It\u2019s a competitive environment but supportive at the same time. New players are fostered by the older girls. It is a safe place to try new things. Failure can happen as long as it\u2019s fun and learning is to be had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In her hometown of Belleville, Ontario, Nelles was a quick sports learner. A gifted volleyball and ice hockey player she took up touch rugby at 10, eventually graduating to full contact.<\/p>\n<p>It was at McMaster University where her rugby began to thrive. Standing 1.84cm she proved to be a natural fit at lock. In 2011 she was named McMaster Marauders rookie of the year. In 2013 she was an All-Canadian selection and a year later was picked for Canada who were runners up to England at the World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made my debut against the USA before the World Cup. I was brought in as injury cover and stayed with the squad. We had to pay for that US tour. Since then, they\u2019ve covered expenses, and on one tour we got bonus fees, but we have to seek time off work to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2015 she captained the Marauders to their first-ever Canadian Interuniversity Sport national title and was named the Most Valuable Player at the national championship tournament held in Kingston. She scored two tries in the final.<\/p>\n<p>She has since amassed 19 tests for Canada, including an appearance at the 2017 World Cup and\u00a0tussles with the Black Ferns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI first played the Black Ferns in Whakatane in 2014. Again, I was called in as injury cover.\u00a0 The first time I saw the haka I thought, \u2018okay panic now.\u2019 I still get goosebumps when I see it on TV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Black Ferns are the benchmark for international rugby, so they bring out the best in you. Rugby is so intertwined with Kiwi culture that it gives you a competitive edge. It\u2019s not like North America where ice hockey, basketball and football are the mainstream sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Civil Engineer, employment prospects and a \u201cnew adventure\u201d brought her to New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>The University Club was welcoming and eventually the Canterbury selectors took notice. Nelles made her debut in 2019 against Wellington and scored two tries in a 57-19 win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy first season was really good. I got lots of game time and had to prove to myself which gave me an edge. The draw wasn\u2019t reshuffled because of Covid which meant tougher games and less disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2020 University won the Christchurch senior championship and Nelles played all seven matches for Canterbury, scoring six tries. The epic Waikato final even caught the attention of All Blacks legend Wayne Smith.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was one of the most exciting games I\u2019ve seen. The willingness of both teams to play expansively was outstanding, despite the pressure of the final. I was emotionally invested in the outcome. Waikato\u2019s James Semple is a fine young coach I\u2019ve had a bit to do with so I wanted him to do well, but then of course I wanted Canterbury to win too,&#8221; Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m grinning from ear-to-ear hearing that. I guess it shows women\u2019s rugby is an exciting product worth investment. Here in New Zealand I know the women are fully committed. I guess that passion comes out in training and performance,\u201d Nelles concluded.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nelles has struggled with concussion since April but is determined to make the 2022 Canada World Cup team. The rugby season was cancelled in Canada but the National team is training.<\/p>\n<p>Canada is one of six \u201ccore teams&#8221; in the World Rugby Sevens Series. Since 2012 they have won five tournaments and finished runners up nine times. They receive Olympic funding.<\/p>\n<p>Heather Moyse was the top try scorer at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments. She represented Canada as a track cyclist and won two gold medals in Bobsleigh at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. In 2016 she was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, the only Canadian women in the Hall. Farah Palmer and Anna Richards are the Kiwis inducted. Nelles remarked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s phenomenal, a good, powerful athlete who many average Canadians know. It\u2019s awesome she\u2019s in the Hall of Fame but there\u2019s potentially half a dozen good candidates I\u2019ve played with who I reckon deserve to be in it too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Magali Harvey, a two-time World Cup attendee and regular Canada Sevens pick, will feature for Auckland in the Farah Palmer Cup.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#wpls-logo-showcase-slider-2 .wpls-fix-box,\n\t\t\t#wpls-logo-showcase-slider-2 .wpls-fix-box img.wp-post-image{max-height:250px; }\n\t\t<\/style>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wpls-wrap wpls-logo-showcase-slider-wrp wpls-logo-clearfix wpls-design-1 \" data-conf=\"{&quot;slides_column&quot;:4,&quot;slides_scroll&quot;:1,&quot;dots&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;arrows&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;autoplay_interval&quot;:3000,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;rtl&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:800,&quot;center_mode&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpls-logo-showcase logo_showcase wpls-logo-slider  sliderimage_hide_border \" id=\"wpls-logo-showcase-slider-2\" >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.roblawmax.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/rmax24.jpg?fit=220%2C120&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeksonwheels.co.nz\/locations\/wellington-computer-repair\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/images.jpg?fit=296%2C170&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/thecallcentre.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/TCC-Logo-400x260-1.jpg?fit=400%2C260&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><div class=\"wpls-logo-cnt\">\n\t<div class=\"wpls-fix-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.partnersfinance.co.nz\/\" target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-post-image\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/part2.jpg?fit=300%2C195&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Above: The Canterbury Women&#8217;s rugby team last year after winning their fourth consecutive Farah Palmer Cup title. PHOTO: Canterbury Women&#8217;s FPC Facebook By Adam Julian Cindy Nelles arrived in New Zealand in August 2018 with a big reputation. Since 2014 she had been a Canadian international, and a year earlier had competed at the World&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-npc","category-womens-rugby"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/cantebury-womens-team-2020.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbDiON-2EZ","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10229"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10236,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10229\/revisions\/10236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clubrugby.nz\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}