It was far from the perfect performance, but the Black Ferns’ 52-5 whomping of the Wallaroos has given former internationals new hope ahead of NZ's defence of the Rugby World Cup at home in 47 days’ time.
Former Black Ferns Davida Suasua and Vania Wolfgramm, and past English Roses captain Paula George, tell Suzanne McFadden where the Black Ferns have made big strides under the new directorship of Wayne Smith, and where they're still lacking.
Vania Wolfgramm
Wolfgramm (née Lavea), made her Black Ferns debut in 2003, and is now NZ Rugby’s game development manager for women’s rugby.
It wasn’t perfect; in fact it was a little bit rusty. But the intent was definitely there. And if that’s just the beginning, imagine what's to come after the Black Ferns spend a bit more time together, working with Smithy.
I’m just so happy for them all. After the worst possible lead-up, you can really see the improvements they’ve made.
But I hope they’re not content with that performance. After they’d scored 45 points (at 54 minutes), I was like ‘Come on!’ I felt they were 60 to 70 points good - they left a lot of points out on that field.
No disrespect to the Wallaroos, but the standard we have to meet is set by the French and the English.
I loved Smithy saying he was disappointed with some of the skillsets. It feels like he’s bringing the standards back to where they should be, because they’ve dropped over the years. There was some mediocracy in the Black Ferns, and that’s not what the black jersey is about.
You can see the professionalism coming through. By being able to focus on rugby every day and spend a lot more time together, they start to see the same pictures and use the same language.
I started welling up seeing Kendra Cocksedge lead the haka; that caught me totally off-guard. That image of Kendra in the middle, with [co captains] Ruahei Demant and Kennedy Simon on either side of her, really symbolised how this team have come together as a unit and are supporting each other.
I love that they’re sharing the load with the captaincy - maybe that’s what this team need after the ordeal they’ve been through.
Almost instantly in this game, you could see a shift in the front row; the scrums were noticeably different. I love watching Tanya Kalounivale playing at this level; she’s always had something stopping her, but she’s playing more and training more, and to get a start is massive.
At ruck time, the Black Ferns were effective and efficient; they were quicker and there were a lot more bodies at the breakdown.
I love the flat attacking line because that’s what we’re used to playing. I’d always get frustrated by the girls playing so deep; it’s easy metres to gain if you can play under that pressure.
Kendra is attacking the line a lot more around ruck time, too. It looks easy, like it’s effortless, but its because they’ve been training to do it.
And they’re being allowed the freedom to try things. We’re seeing Ruby (Tui) trying the kick-chase. She failed with it a couple of times in this game, but she kept playing it. That speaks volumes of the coaching team.
I’ve seen past Black Ferns crumble when they’ve tried something, it hasn’t worked and they won’t dare try it again.
One area we have to improve on is the rolling maul – we could have had another two tries out of that.
And there was a lull in the second half, a momentum shift. That may have been because the new players had come on, particularly in the forwards. But they needed to see more girls playing.
Wayne Smith says there are 50 players to choose from, but I think there are still more people putting their hands up in the Farah Palmer Cup. I don’t think they’re closing their doors to anyone yet. (Midfielder) Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali is injured, but she really needs to be looked at.
My concerns have been the tight five and our midfielders. I’m not completely sure we have the right combinations yet.
Black Fern #242 Tyla Nathan-Wong (right) and Black Fern #243 Awhina Tangen-Wainohu made their 15s test rugby debuts on Saturday.
I really like the look of (18-year-old midfielder) Sylvia Brunt, but I worry we don’t have enough depth at fullback. I love that Tyla Nathan-Wong got her first shot at halfback, but it was a bugger she had to go off for an HIA (head injury assessment).
I still think this performance gives everyone hope – both players and fans – going into the Rugby World Cup. I’ll be backing the Black Ferns - there’s enough time for them to do this.
Davida Suasua
Suasua (née White) was in the first Black Ferns team to win the World Cup in 1998, and went on to become a successful coach, taking Manu Sina Samoa to the 2006 World Cup. She’s now principal at Tangaroa College.
(As an aside, her husband, Darryl, was coach of the Black Ferns for seven years – winning the 1998 and 2002 World Cup titles).
The game got a bit boring towards the end (the 20-minute period where the Black Ferns lost some cohesion and didn’t score).
Australia looked very poor; I think they’d struggle to play in our Farah Palmer Cup competition to be honest. Their defence dropped back and we just ran through them.
But looking at the Black Ferns, you can see some huge improvements there. They’re a lot more athletic and really keen. There’s a sense they’re putting their heart and soul out on the pitch.
You can see their shapes on attack and defence; whereas before you’d say ‘What the hell are they doing?’ You can see what they’re actually trying to do.
With scrums, you could see their shape was a lot better, they had done some serious work lately around those. But with lineouts, they couldn’t really get it past two. When they play against those other teams, they’re going to have to be creative to get it past the tail.
There’s competition for positions now, too, which is always good for the jersey, for the team. It’s now looking for the right combinations. You’ve got some girls who are already guaranteed to be there, but it depends on what else [Smith’s] looking for.
We’ve always had players with the X factor, who could pick the ball up around their boots, pass off both sides with strength, and box-kick off both feet like it’s a natural process. But I think we are lacking a little bit in those X factor players.
Charmaine McMenamin picked up a few balls off her ankles – she’s always had the ability to offload and find the hole where no-one else has. We just need a few more of her.
If we can get the right combination of X factor players and intelligent rugby thinkers, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. They’re a young team, they just need someone to take risks. Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali will open the game up, and (halfback) Arihiana Marino-Tauhino can ignite a game.
Our strength is this game of rugby is ours; we’ve always owned the style of play we play. The European sides play cookie-cutter rugby, their knowledge of the game has been taught. Whereas we’ve always played with flair, letting the ball go, understanding space.
It was pretty evident when we played England and France last year and got our arses’ kicked, we hadn’t done our homework. We’ve always had the players, but we went away with the wrong team.
Now there’s a glimmer of hope. We’re in a better space. It’s just letting rip now.
Paula George
The former England Roses captain, ‘Georgie’ has 75 test caps, 30 as leader, and played at four World Cups. She now lives in New Zealand where she’s programme manager for The Resilience Project.
More than anything, I want an amazing tournament down here. In my heart, I absolutely want England to win. But to have a competition where the Black Ferns are very much in the running would be phenomenal for the game.
I was really disappointed with the Black Ferns after that Northern tour last year, so it’s awesome to see progress being made, step by step by step. I just hope there’s enough time before the World Cup, but they’re obviously being really productive in whatever time they have together.
Smithy is such a phenomenal coach, and especially a culture builder. That’s what he’s best at, and in my opinion, building team culture is halfway to creating an amazing performance on the field. He’s also brought a plethora of amazing technical coaches as well.
While it was exciting to see this latest victory, we need to see the New Zealand girls tested under pressure. Australia didn’t really bring that pressure. Hopefully the defensive work they do on the training park will stand up at the tournament. I’m sure Smithy is making sure all the boxes are ticked.
I’m really impressed with their attacking style – it’s really good, exciting rugby. It’s the only way they’ve got to go – it’s what they’re good at; it’s what Black Ferns rugby has always been. When it’s done really well, it’s bloody hard to beat.
Ayesha Leti-I'iga's brilliant solo try in the first test of the Laurie O'Reilly Cup on Saturday.
I’m particularly keen to watch those back three develop together – Ayesha Leti-I’iga at 11; Renee Holmes, who’s learning her trade and is potentially very exciting, at fullback; and Ruby Tui at 14 just lights the world up. Every time Ayesha gets the ball, I hold my breath. She’s so electric in a very different way; she brings something new and fresh to women’s rugby.
As long as they can deal with the physicality of the breakdown from the French and the English - match that but play their own style of game - I think it could be a winning formula.
I think they’re settling into their World Cup squad. I’m sure Smithy has a framework in his mind, and they’re just filling in the last bits and pieces. It will be the last tough decisions to be made in the final weeks.
I felt for Tayla Nathan-Wong coming on and then getting the HIA. He has to decide whether he takes her pretty much untested at 15s, even though in the little flash she was on the field, her speed to get to the breakdown and clear it, was wonderful. Will she be a great back-up to Kendra, who also played so well?
I know everyone focuses on the World Cup, but for the Black Ferns it’s really important they build back into the mana of that black jersey, and their own journeys.
* The Black Ferns now travel to Adelaide for the last leg of the Laurie O'Reilly Cup on Saturday, at 4.45pm NZ time; live on Sky Sport.
