Black Ferns star Chelsea Alley ‘I'VE MARRIED MY PERFECT MATCH'

The rugby player shares the fairytale ending to her sporting love story

- Kelly Bertrand

When Black Ferns superstar Chelsea Alley walked down the aisle towards her groom, rugby coach James Semple, all she could think about was how happy and excited she was to become his wife.

Clutching the arm of her 90-year-old grandfather Colin, the radiant bride looked stunning in her Lula Kavi white appliquéd gown as she made her way slowly towards the altar on a stunning Kara-piro summer’s day.

“It was so special,” Chelsea tells Woman’s Day shortly after the emotional ceremony. “It was one of my favourite parts of the day – my poppa is a massive part of my life and he’d been holding out for this… and then I saw James.”

It’s been four years since the rugby-mad pair first met in Hamilton, when Chelsea played for the Waikato women’s team, with James serving as the assistant and backs coach.

“Whoops!” laughs Chelsea, 29. “But we didn’t actually get together until way after the season ended – scandalous, but not that scandalous!”

The duo felt an instant connection and became really good friends straight away. But it was when James stepped in to coach the Waikato-based Black Ferns ahead of the 2017 World Cup that they both realised how aligned their thinking and values truly were.

“Plus, I just really rated him as a coach!” she adds. “Later on, though, a few of the girls in the team told me that they could always see we had something. We both didn’t know it back then, but we really began our relationship as good friends and I think that’s a great place to start.”