'It can break your heart': Black Ferns react to semi-final defeat

The Black Ferns’ reign as world champions was surrendered on Friday night in Bristol, with a statement 34-19 win from Canada sending them into their first Rugby World Cup final in over a decade.

The Canadians came out of the blocks firing in the first semi-final of the weekend, besting some resolute defence to run up a 17-0 lead after 23 minutes. The second half featured a shift in momentum, but New Zealand’s execution let them down in the face of aggressive defence.

Black Ferns head coach Allan Bunting could only congratulate his opponents postgame, conceding their accuracy throughout the 84 minutes was too much for his side’s comeback attempt to overcome.

“Obviously, we’re gutted for our ladies,” the coach said. “With how much effort and the work that’s gone in, I can’t fault the intent. We’ve got lots of family here and our country back home, and a lot on our shoulders, so firstly we’ll get around each other.

“Sport can be tough sometimes; it can break your heart. We get another opportunity to play together as a team and play for our country.”

Bunting highlighted the set piece and resilience of his team as strengths, but Canada’s ability to play clean rugby and win back possession made life very difficult for his team.

Team co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu echoed that sentiment, noting her side’s penalty count and handling errors as major factors in the loss.

“This isn’t the way I envisioned our journey ending,” she said. “But credit to Canada, they came out hissing in those first 20 minutes, and we just left it a little too late.

“Our discipline didn’t help us out, either. We just didn’t hold onto the ball enough to put points on them. Like Bunts said, we’ll get around each other, lift each other up, and make sure we give it all to whoever we play next week.”

The Kiwis will face either England or France in the bronze medal match, with Canada awaiting the better of the two teams. A sold-out Twickenham will set the stage for the final.

Tukuafu conceded it was “really difficult” to get New Zealand’s attack going in the semi-final without possession or the field position needed.

“They are a well-drilled team, and like I said, our discipline wasn’t good enough to be able to gain some momentum, to keep moving forward.

“There were a lot of good things out there, though. It’s not like we didn’t attack. Let’s get that straight. A lot of great things… We just didn’t have the ball long enough to score points.”

On the other side of the ball, though, the co-captain was proud of her side’s defence, especially on the goal-line. It was an emotional press conference, but the idea of another game next weekend, even if it isn’t for gold, was a positive for the Kiwi leaders.

“We go back to the drawing board tomorrow, and we look at the things that we can improve. We’ve got an opportunity to rectify that.”