Jorja Miller
Date of Birth
8 February 2004 - Timaru
Parents
Tracey and Craig Miller
Education
Timaru Girls High School & Christchurch Girls High School
Biography
Jorja Miller was always destined to be a rugby star.
As a four-year-old Jorja followed her big brothers Corin and Deon to play for the Harlequins Rugby Club, and it didn’t take long to see her potential. Her parents Craig and Tracey had also represented South Canterbury in rugby, so Jorja was blessed with good genes.
A fearless youngster Jorja mixed with the boys, with no problem and often captained the age-group sides.
Jorja’s talent saw her selected regularly as a South Canterbury age-group representative and she was selected as an openside flanker in the South Island under-48kg and under-65kg tournament teams.
Throughout this time, she kept up her other passion, Highland dancing, where she also excelled becoming a National Champion. This may have contributed to her ability to side-step.
Starting High School at Timaru Girls’ meant a change from playing rugby with the boys to playing girls’ who were up to five years older. Jorja ultimately moved to Christchurch Girls’ High School to play in a more competitive first XV league.
Christchurch Girls’ also competed in New Zealand Condor Sevens and Jorja excelled here too, named in the national secondary schools’ tournament team.
In 2021 Jorja made Canterbury’s Farah Palmer Cup 15s squad, playing in the 2021 final.
A national sevens contract followed in 2022 and her passion for dancing had to unfortunately go on hold.
Jorja continued to shine and is now a big name on the global sevens stage, helping the Black Ferns win the world title in her first season.
In 2023 Jorja signed a four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby and the Black Ferns Sevens - the longest awarded to a New Zealand women’s rugby player.
Jorja has also won several ‘player of the series awards’ on the sevens circuit and in 2023 was named World Rugby’s Sevens Rookie of the Year and became a World Champion.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Jorja reached a pinnacle, winning gold with the women’s sevens side at the age of 20.
Just to show how impressive Jorja’s endeavours are, South Canterbury hasn’t claimed an Olympic champion since 1500m winner Jack Lovelock in 1936.
Last updated: 06 Nov 2024