Fitter, stronger Wallaroos confident maiden Black Ferns scalp is on horizon

Riding high after four straight wins, the Wallaroos are eager to get a measure of their progress against the world champion Black Ferns.

The Australian women’s rugby side host their New Zealand counterparts in the opening round of the Pacific Four championships in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

Canada and the United States are also part of the series as the teams warm up for this year’s World Cup in England.

The Wallaroos are 0-27 in head-to-head meetings with the 2025 title-holders, but enter this contest with their confidence high after recent results.

For the first time they have won four matches in a row, coming off a 43-7 win over Fiji in Suva last weekend.

They also took the scalps of Scotland, South Africa and Wales, en route to winning last year’s WX2 tournament in Cape Town.

Wallaroos forward Kaitlan Leaney said the team had improved their fitness and skills, and also the connection between players in the past 12 months under coach Jo Yapp.

“We spoke about this in our first camp about where we are today compared to 12 months ago,” said Leaney, who is set to come back into the side after sitting out the Fiji match.

“Not only are our PBs in the gym and our fitness scores showing it, but we’ve really connected as a group and our rugby IQ has gotten a lot better, and I think that comes off the back of playing more Test matches.

“This game this weekend will be a good test and we’re really up for it.”

The Wallaroos will be without sevens star Bienne Terita (hamstring) and speedster Maya Stewart (knee), although neither is a long-term injury.

But Leaney said the growing depth in the squad meant they would be well covered.

The improved performance of Australia’s forward pack has been notable, and the Coffs Harbour product said that would be key to cracking a breakthrough win over New Zealand.

“We’ve been really impressed with how the forwards have been going,” the 24-year-old said..

“We know that set-piece area was something we had to work on, and the growth in that aspect has been really good.

“We know as individual athletes that we can compete against them, and I think we’ve shown that with the performances we’ve pulled together against other teams.

“Winning creates that belief within the team, but also knowing that we’re a lot better than what we were this time last year.

“I think that in itself creates that belief that we know we can go out and get the job done.”