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Black Ferns eye ‘like a final’ clash with Ireland year on from shock upset
By Finn Morton reporting from Brighton & Hove
New Zealand are treating every match from now on like it’s a final, starting this weekend with a key match against Ireland. In the last round of pool play, the Black Ferns are hoping to “draw a line in the sand” by taking winning momentum into the quarters.
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Ireland have beaten the Black Ferns twice, including their most recent meeting at WXV 1 almost one year ago (September 30), but the New Zealanders will still go into this Test with plenty of confidence following big World Cup wins over Spain and Japan.
Reigning HSBC SVNS Series Women’s Player of the Year Jorja Miller was the star of the first half in New Zealand’s opening-round 54-8 win over Spain, before the Black Ferns made it two from two with a 62-19 triumph over Japan in Exeter on Sunday.
2022 Rugby World Cup-winning co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu returned from injury to face Japan, and the backrower is feeling good ahead of the Ireland Test. Before explaining how “winning momentum is huge” at a World Cup, Tukuafu previewed the significance of this match.
“We want to draw a line in the sand and obviously put ourselves in a great position moving forward,” Tukuafu told reporters on Tuesday.
“This game is going to be… it’s like a final and we’ve just got to turn and play some incredible rugby.
“Every game from now on, we believe it’s a final. We want to make sure we don’t show all our cards but make sure that we nail the moments that we do get.”
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New Zealand were beaten by Ireland 27-29 last September, with Renee Holmes scoring the only points of the second half for the Black Ferns with a penalty. As for the Irish, they kept fighting until the very ended and were ultimately rewarded for their efforts.
Erin King scored the match-levelled with less than two minutes to play, before Dannah O’Brien added the extras to secure a famous win. That result made headlines around the world, but a new dawn awaits, with the New Zealanders eager to go through unbeaten out of the pool.
“They turned up on the day and unfortunately we didn’t capitalise on our opportunities and they did,” Tukuafu said.
“For this week, we’ve just made it all about us. The only thing that we change is how we level up and get better.
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“We have addressed the past, as you might say, but we choose to look at the positives and how far we’ve come from then.
“I wouldn’t recommend losing… as much as you like to take learnings like that, it’s nice to learn winning as well. I think that adversity will help us but we choose not to put too much energy into it.”
New Zealand take on Ireland at Brighton & Holve Albion Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It’s the second match of the weekend at the venue, with tournament hosts England taking on Australia in a massive Pool A clash that will have quarter-final ramifications.
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