‘I want to change the game’ – meet Black Ferns star Miller

Before the age of 21, Jorja Miller had already become an Olympic champion and been voted the best sevens player in the world.

With lethal acceleration, power, footwork, and offloading skills, the 21-year-old has established herself as a sensational athlete.

Having played in boys’ teams from the age of four to 13, Miller wasted no time making an impact in sevens when she moved to Christchurch Girls’ High School.

After starring at New Zealand’s prestigious national secondary school rugby sevens tournament in 2019, the dream of pulling on the black jersey seemed only a matter of time.

That sevens debut came at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2022, and by the end of her first season, she was named World Rugby’s Rookie of the Year – an accolade made even more impressive given her recovery from early injury setbacks after joining the squad.

In 2023, at just 20 years old, Miller won the Player of the Year award for New Zealand’s top rugby player – the youngest winner since Jonah Lomu.

A gold medal in Paris with the New Zealand sevens team followed last year, making Miller her country’s youngest-ever Olympic champion.

And just as her sevens career skyrocketed to the top, a similar path is now being paved in XVs.

Her first cap came earlier this year with her impact instant as she started at open-side flanker in a 79-14 thrashing of the United States.

“Coming into 15s I wanted to put my hand up for the World Cup, but off the back of the Olympics I didn’t know how I’d go,” Miller told BBC sport.

“I got used to the sevens game and I feel the way I played really suited that. With more players it was going to be different.”

However, maybe not too different as, having made her way into the World Cup squad, her debut in the competition was characteristically eye-catching.

Facing Spain, the ball found its way to Miller, who was lurking out wide – a dummy, step and a searing break was quickly finished by the flanker.

A second try came minutes later, another two tries then came against Japan – one of which came from a breakdown steal before racing away.

“She’s like one of those PlayStation games, but you can’t clock her because it’s just impossible,” New Zealand back Kelly Brazier said after the Spain game.

“No matter what you do, she finds a way out of it and having to try and defend her at seven, she just runs over you, through you, round you.”

A traditional back row forward would not usually have the physical attributes of the world’s best outside backs.

But with the game evolving, Miller, who puts her explosive footwork down to her younger years Highland dancing, defies the norm.

“Everyone will have their opinions ‘oh you are not a real forward’ or I don’t hit rucks hard,” a confident Miller said.

“That is me because I want to change the game and playing like a back sometimes is how I do that.

Miller continued her fine form in a destructive display on Sunday in Brighton as the world champions sealed top spot in Pool C by hammering Ireland.

The reward is a quarter-final in Exeter on Saturday against rivals South Africa, who qualified for the knockout stages for the first time.

It is not all about highlight reel moments for Miller, building team culture by learning off experienced winners is of particular interest.

One of those, New Zealand wing Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, came out of retirement to try and win the World Cup for the third time in row.

Miller says both Brazier, a two-time world champion, and Woodman-Wickliffe have taught her “so much” about creating values, culture and a winning environment.

“Everyone sees Portia as this GOAT [greatest of all-time] and she is amazing but she has never stopped learning,” Miller added.

“She is the first to admit if she did something wrong or ask for help. She even asked me for help. I love that want to learn and grow, I admire it.”

Having mentors to further shape Miller’s special talent makes the flanker a scary opponent in the knockout stages.

However, the star in New Zealand has always been the team. Despite wanting to change the game, Miller is no different.

“[Individual] accolades are not what I measure success off, they are nice but we are in a team sport. What does it actually really mean? Does it matter?” she added.

“For me it is about legacy, coming into sevens I was fortunate enough to see what that looks like.

“I want to keep building on that and growing that.