Robert Trathen
Taylor Curtis has always dreamed of making it to the Rugby World Cup, whether as a player charging down the field or in the commentary box calling every try. So when she received the call she’d be Sky’s only on- the-ground reporter in the UK, the 29-year-old couldn’t contain herself.
“My boss called and he delivered the news to me like those American shows where they’re like, ‘You’re going to Hollywood!’” she recalls.
“I cried and I probably screamed. I was also a bit embarrassed I did that in front of my boss. But I’ve been working towards this for so long. I was over the moon!”
Supporting friends on the big stage
Taylor has also played alongside many of the Black Ferns squad, so it’s extra-special knowing she’ll be there to support her friends as they set out to defend their title.
“It’s so cool to go along and cheer on my mates, and be working,” she smiles.
“It’s a win-win.”
Taylor was essentially raised at a rugby club. Her dad Steve Curtis, 59, coached at the Waimea Old Boys club near Nelson and her mum Linda Biemuller, 59, managed the team. Women’s rugby has come a long way since Taylor and her twin sister, former Blues star Sam, started playing at seven years old.
They spent their childhood in boys’ teams, often the only girls on the field. They didn’t join a girls’ side until high school and even then, they played for another school because theirs lacked a team.
“There are so many tournaments for women’s rugby now – even at school level,” enthuses The Crowd Goes Wild panellist.
“It’s awesome to see and I think sometimes if I’d been born a few years later, I’d have so many more opportunities.”
From player to commentator
Despite an impressive rugby resumé – she has won three Farah Palmer Cup premierships – Taylor accepted the harsh reality in university that her skills probably wouldn’t earn her a black jersey.
Instead, she turned her focus off the field to pursue her other dream: rugby commentary. Going straight to the top, she secured the email address of Black Ferns legend Melodie Robinson and pitched herself. Her confidence clearly worked.
“She was coming down to commentate our sevens tournament and she said she’d love to meet me,” explains Taylor. “When I met her, she said, ‘I’m putting together a mentorship programme, do you want to be a part of it?’”
For six months, Taylor was mentored by another legend of the commentary box, Scotty Stevenson. He showed her the ropes and introduced her to the right people, so when she left university, she had a job at Sky, where she’s steadily climbed the ranks.
Between her busy career and maintaining a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, former Blues player Harry Plummer (who’s recently joined the French league), Taylor has had to take some time off from playing rugby.
But one of the things she loves about commentating is that she’s still a part of the action.
Turning stats into stories
“I would have been watching the game anyway,” says Taylor.
“But now, I’m still involved in some way. I enjoy the challenge of creating a story out of the stats. Not everyone’s a sports expert, but people love stories and personality.”
One of her favourite moments behind the mic was during one of her sister’s Farah Palmer Cup matches, where Sam made the play of the game.
“She did a chip kick, then sprinted and scored,” she recalls.
“I was standing up and screaming. They came back to me and said, ‘Taylor, your thoughts?’ I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, that was a great option.’ I had to compose myself!”
From her early days playing in boys’ teams to calling the action on the world stage, Taylor has never let the boundaries of the sport define her path. As she embarks on this once-in-a-lifetime assignment, she’s already looking ahead.
“I have a journal,” she tells.
“For every year, I’ve put down the significant sporting events, like the LA Olympics and World Cups. “I have heaps of ambition and I don’t want each year to look the same.”
Taylor is part of the Sky team delivering coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup live on Sky Sport, streaming on Sky Sport Now and delayed free-to-air on Sky Open.
