As many as 18 past and present Black Ferns could be on display in the national women's rugby final this weekend. Adam Julian talks to Auckland's goalkicking prop who's undaunted by the challenge.
Auckland has never won the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC). Since the National Provincial Championship was renamed after the World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee in 2016 the Storm has failed to add to their tally of 15 national titles in the first 16 years of officially organised competition which started in 1999.
Canterbury has replaced Auckland as perennial winners with five triumphs in the last six seasons. In fact, since 2017 the Red and Blacks have won 51 out of 55 matches. In the same period, Auckland has won 25.
A particularly imposing reality of facing Canterbury is confronting the Black Ferns World Cup-winning front row of Pip Love, Georgia Ponsonby, and Amy Rule. Rule has never lost in 29 appearances for Canterbury and Ponsonby is 37-1. Black Ferns lock Chelsea Bremner who recently returned from a broken finger, is an unblemished, 43-0.
Love is Canterbury’s most capped prop with 55 matches. The loosehead has played 27 Tests and will mark Auckland’s Sophie Fisher (19 games) in the FPC final at Rugby Park in Christchurch on Saturday.
Fisher has played less than two whole seasons at tighthead. She is undaunted by the Canterbury challenge, which occurs in her blazer game for Auckland.
“I don’t think about them as the World Cup front row. They are just another front row we can beat,” Fisher said.
“We’ve been getting stronger throughout the season and are really confident if we can stick to our fast game, a bit like the way the Black Ferns play, it’ll be a good day at the office.”
On August 26, Auckland blew a 21-10 lead to lose to Canterbury 27-24 at Eden Park. Ponsonby scored two tries from lineout drives.
“We’ve been working hard at stopping the rolling maul. The best way to do that is not give away penalties, compete at the lineout where possible, and stay connected strong,” Fisher said.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned about being is prop is how technical the position is. If you don’t know the little tricks on how to manipulate your opponent, it’s hard to block out a good loosehead. I’m learning ways to use my shoulder and neck to better out-manoeuvre opposites.
An appetite for scrummaging has caught the attention of national selectors. In April the apprentice builder was rewarded a full-time Black Ferns contract after a strong Super Rugby Aupiki campaign for the Blues. She had been given several interim contracts before being upgraded to full-time status.
Fisher only started playing rugby in Year 13, after a long spell playing hockey, at Kaipara College, and it certainly wasn’t as a prop.
"I was an eight or a lock. At Kaipara, we played 10-aside and won the North Harbour competition. We played the Auckland winner next and beat them to make the National Top Four. That was the first time I played proper 15-aside rugby and we got third in New Zealand. That was awesome," Fisher said.
She played 22 games for North Harbour, mostly as a lock, between 2017 and 2020. There were only five wins but some overtures about switching to prop.
"There was one game against Northland where I played four positions. I stared at lock moved to eight and then we had an injury crisis in the backs so I was told to switch to centre and finally fullback because I could kick," Fisher said.
"Willie Walker [North Harbour coach] mentioned the idea of going to prop but Covid interrupted things. When I went to Auckland, I had no choice to move because of the depth at lock."
Northland and Black Ferns prop Krystal Murray has earned cult-like status for her goal-kicking prowess, but she has competition from Fisher, who booted 74 points for North Harbour and occasionally kicks for Auckland.
In 2022 she nailed a last-minute sideline conversion at Eden Park to secure the Storm a 26-25 win against Wellington and repeated the same feat, albeit from closer to the posts, against the same opponent in July this year.
With 11 minutes remaining, in wet, freezing, conditions, Wellington led 15-10 with Auckland down to 13 players due to yellow cards for ill-discipline. They had lost to Hawke’s Bay 32-31 in the opening round with Fisher missing a penalty to win the game.
With the last play, Auckland went blindside from a stable midfield scrum set five metres out. The forwards were patient and lock Eloise Blackwell, just returned from the sin bin, muscled over close to the posts to tie the scores.
“I heard the Wellington girls say, ‘We’ll charge when she steps back.’ I remember laughing because I don’t step back. I’ve become a lot less anxious with the kicks. It was the wind’s fault the one against Hawke’s Bay didn’t go over. That was a good 45m kick,” Fisher laughed.
Canterbury did suffer a rare defeat to Waikato (a team Auckland has tamed twice) in Hamilton in the same round but that was in extra time with 10 present Black Ferns absent. Otherwise, Canterbury has been more dominant in 2023 scoring 17 more tries than last season.
However, Auckland is better too, and won’t face the tidal wave of emotion that accompanied last year’s final due to the retirement of Black Ferns and Canterbury legends Kendra Cocksedge and Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox.
Fisher has been working with past Black Ferns Aldora Itunu (24 Tests), Aleisha-Pearl Nelson (38 Tests), and redoubtable Samoan Census Johnson (60 Tests) to upskill. She has developed a close relationship with her loosehead propping partner Chryss Viliko, another who is training full time with the Black Ferns.
“We’ve been playing together for three years now and become best of mates. Our connection is an honest and caring one. We give feedback to each other and have a strong chemistry which helps the whole team,” Fisher said.
“Anna Richards is another big help. She’s improved my carry by bettering my footwork, finding weak shoulders and just being more mobile.”
Auckland won the first six national finals against Canterbury but have lost the last two. Their last triumph in any decider was a 39-9 thumping of Wellington in 2015. Double World champion and Olympic Sevens gold-medallist Theresa Fitzpatrick scored three tries.
Fisher has already won a final this year. She played for Ponsonby in their 29-24 upset of unbeaten College Rifiles in the Coleman Shield decider in June.
The Farah Palmer Cup final with potentially as many as 18 past or present Black Ferns is at Rugby Park, Christchurch. Kick-off is at 2:05 pm on Saturday, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sport.
