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Black Ferns receive caps on historic evening

By Online Editors

Tall tales of being on tour, a chance to reminisce, and recognition of the first women to wear rugby’s black jersey were the order of the night at Eden Park Friday evening at the first capping of the Black Ferns.

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Over 300 former Black Ferns, coaches, management, rugby family and friends gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the team’s inaugural Women’s Rugby World Cup victory and to honour New Zealand’s most successful women’s sports team.

New Zealand Rugby Board Chair Brent Impey said the evening marked the starting point in recognising the Black Ferns and their decades of success, as well as celebrating those who played such a huge role in developing the women’s game in New Zealand.

“We are in the midst of an incredible time for women’s rugby, including the establishment of semi-professional contracts on the back of a record breaking fifth World Cup title. Tonight was a fantastic opportunity to honour all the women who have contributed to the black jersey and inspired generations of young people to play our national game.”

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Impey said the capping project had been years in planning and further capping ceremonies would take place over the next three years to ensure all Black Ferns received their caps.

“One of the enduring consequences of committing to cap the Black Ferns was the opportunity to gather and preserve the history and heritage of the team. We have taken our time to ensure we get it right,” he said.

NZR Board member and captain of the 1998 Black Ferns, Dr Farah Palmer was among those to receive her cap this evening.

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She said the women who wore the black jersey carried the aspirations of whanau, friends, team mates, clubs, provinces and Aotearoa.

“It gave us a shared sense of pride and joy that will never leave us.  The mana and mauri I feel when watching the ongoing and extraordinary success of this team multiplies as each new generation of players adds to the legacy.”

Receiving their caps tonight were the 1998 Black Ferns and players who represented the Black Ferns in matches in 1989 and 1990 and went on to play official Test matches. Black Ferns who travelled from overseas to attend and the families of Black Ferns who have passed away were also capped.

Over the next three years 161 women who have played in sanctioned Test matches will be capped in ceremonies around New Zealand.

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The caps are based on traditional rugby caps and feature the Black Ferns number, the silver fern and details of their Test debut.

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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