The Black Ferns identity ahead of the 2024 Pacific Four Series
The Black Ferns international campaign starts on Saturday with a Pacific Four Test match against the USA in Hamilton.
The Black Ferns have beaten the USA 13 times in 14 internationals outscoring the Eagles 645-95. Their only defeat against the USA was 7-0 in 1991.
The most memorable match between the countries was the 1998 Rugby World Cup final which New Zealand won 44-12. Winger Vanessa Cootes scored five tries, a record for a male or female in a Rugby World Cup final.
“My job was to score tries; plain and simple. All the credit for my tries goes to the team who did the lead-up work. I don’t want to look greedy by claiming I was something I wasn’t. Playing with Anna Richards was unbelievable. She would skip-pass the entire backline and suddenly I had the ball in a wide open space,” Cootes said.
Soon after the Black Ferns would establish their identity. Coach Darryl Suasua explained the origins of naming New Zealand, ‘The Black Ferns.’
“When we were at the World Cup in Amsterdam there was a competition on the Holmes show to name the team. We wanted to come up with something to present to the Union, so we had ownership of the name and culture we were trying to create.
“The idea of Black Ferns was to combine the Silver Ferns of netball with the All Blacks. The mamaku is also the strongest female part of the fern, so everything is tied in nicely.”
What is the Black Ferns identity in 2024?
Director of Rugby Allan Bunting conceded that they are still trying to find it.
“We’ve talked about our DNA and what this is. There are some special young ladies across the board, who are different and are finding out what we can bring. We want to get our crowds back, by playing an exciting brand of footy. That’s our responsibility.”
USA should be the easiest of the three PAC Four fixtures. The USA have already played and was thrashed 50-7 by Canada on April 29. Captain Sophie de Goede led from the front by scoring two tries and 18 points and Claire Gallagher also bagged a brace in an impressive showing.
“It’s been a different week of prep for us. Typically, we’d look for the threats they present. This week we’ve had more of an inward focus on our attack and defence and what we are about as a squad,” Co-captain Ruahei Demant said.
The Black Ferns tried to emulate their free-wheeling 2022 Rugby World Cup approach with mixed results last year.
Last year’s 39-17 victory against the USA in Ottawa was marred by the first red card in Black Ferns history to halfback Iritana Hohaia. Overall discipline was poorer and different personal and better prepared defenses presented new challenges.
Assistant coach Steve Jackson addressed some of the specifics of strategy.
“There’s been a big focus around the breakdown and our soft skills, our catch-pass and the ability to beat defenders.
“A lot of times coaches focus on things they need to work on, but in this environment, we encourage them to be better at the things they are good at, make that their superpower, and make sure they’re comfortable and confident so they can go out there and deliver.”
The spine of the team at present exists in a bundle of dynamic and athletic back rowers. This weekend the loose forward trio consists of Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (18 Tests), Kennedy Simon (20 Tests) and Layla Sae (three Tests). Sae was the best player in Aupiki for the Hurricanes Poua, Simon topped the tackle count and Mikaele Tu’u was Black Ferns Player of the Year in 2023.
Demant, the World Rugby Player of the Year in 2022, is the spark and the glue that holds the backline together at first five. Young midfield pair Sylvia Brunt (13 Tests) and Amy du Plessis (14 Tests) are growing. Wings Ruby Tui (13 Tests) and Katelyn Vahaakolo (six Tests) can be electric.
Where the Black Ferns have real issues is among the tight forwards. Debutant Maama Vaipulu, a New Zealand volleyball international, looks set for a long career. The athletic and abrasive lock was outstanding for Aupiki champions the Blues ranking first for lineouts (28), second for carries (71), and fifth for tackles (82). Vaipulu was also a Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) Premiership winner in 2023 with Auckland.
Rugby runs in the family with a Tongan international uncle with the same name while her father Akapani Vaipulu, now a corrections officer, played for Northland. Maama is the fourth of five siblings separated by nine years of age. Her brother Kali played briefly for Bay of Plenty, and her mother Simone was a talented basketball player.
Prop is a seriously alarming weakness. Aldora Itunu has been recalled after a three-year absence, and Marcelle Parkes has converted from loose forward to loosehead. Amy Rule underwhelmed in Aupiki and needs to recapture the form that made her the best tighthead in the world in 2022.
Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu failed to lock down halfback after six Test appearances in 2023. Iritana Hohaia showed signs of promise, but her red card aforementioned was a major blemish. An authoritative halfback is essential for the fast-paced game the Black Ferns desire. Without Kendra Cocksedge, New Zealand looked rudderless at times.
Maia Joseph, daughter of former All Black Jamie Joseph, will debut this Saturday as a halfback. She dates Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham, studies medicine and has represented New Zealand in touch. With Otago in 2022, she won the Fiao’o Faamausili Medal as the best and fairest player in the FPC, but the 20-year-old is still largely unproven. She only started one of six matches in Aupiki for Matatu.
Back up at first five is another Achilles heel and perhaps surprisingly former Black Fern Krysten Cottrell was overlooked after an outstanding campaign for the Blues. The top points scorer with 49 she scored individual tries at crucial times in both narrow victories against Matatu and nailed a clutch sideline conversion against Manawa in the final. Composed and astute, Cottrell forced Demant to play second five to include her presence.
Who is Hannah King? The squad’s genuine bolter. First-five in the Hurricanes Poua, Aupiki’s worst team.
Raised on a farm, King started playing at age four, filling in on her elder brother’s team at the West Melton Rugby Club. She stuck with the club, playing in boys’ teams right through to U13 level.
She was one of the first members of the Ellesmere Royals – an U16 girls’ team who played in a new Canterbury competition for teenage girls. At 16, she made the significant step up into women’s senior rugby, with the Christchurch club swapping from halfback to first-five after three halfbacks were ranked ahead of her.
At the Christchurch Club, King was spotted by Cocksedge who became a key mentor and introduced her to the Canterbury rugby setup.
In her debut season with Canterbury, an 18-year-old King was awarded the most promising Canterbury FPC player of the year, alongside Atlanta Lolohea (who’s also received her first Black Ferns contract).
Cocksedge told LockerRoom: “She was only young, and she was literally bossing them around the park – I hadn’t seen a 10 do that for so long. I knew this kid was a smart football player; she had something special.”
With the increasing threat of the Aussie NRL (the Warriors return next year), securing young talent of this ilk is an increasing priority for NZR. With more than a year remaining until the Rugby World Cup the Black Ferns have some scope to try things. Steve Jackson observed.
“These are the prime opportunities to introduce some things, get the girls to understand why we’ve changed a few things, and build on those as this competition continues.
“And then, we keep building and building, and making sure they’re clear around the reasons why we’re doing certain things. Then in the games sticking to our structure and our system.
“It’s our job to create a winning environment and winning pinnacle events and create a culture that players want to stay with the Black Ferns for the long term.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
No longer able to except the excuses offered up for Rob. The red jersey has lost it’s mana and become a joke. I do not wish Mr Penny any wrong but it is time to go. Do the right thing Rob and retire, PLEASE.
31 Go to commentsIt is a travesty that 8/12 teams play in the finals, and that 4 wins out of 14 might be enough to get you there, but every competition has this to some degree. If it was only the top 4 going through, then this season would have been over for 6 of the teams 4 weeks ago. Super Rugby is simply a feeder competition for the All Blacks and Wallabies. There are low stakes and no consequences because so few people care who wins Super Rugby. In football, winning the Champions League is the pinnacle for any player or fan. The fate of national teams in the world cup or Euros is a complete second fiddle to The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundelsliga etc… Same with the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB. Players and fans care deeply about their team winning NBA title, but don’t care at all about USA winning gold at the Olympics. Or more locally with Rugby League, the Hierarchy is probably NRL > State of Origin > International. For some maybe State of Origin is the top. Super Rugby is low consequence and low stakes because no one cares enough about the outcome. Players ultimately want to play for the ABs, not the Hurricanes or Blues. Casual fans aren’t talking about SR selections but everyone has an opinion on Sam Cane or Ian Foster. Super Rugby is a means to an end. The only context it has is how it effects who is selected for the ABs.
6 Go to commentsPlayoffs featuring 4 or 6 teams would mean the other teams playing meaningless games for longer and a further drop of interest in Australia. But yes a 12 team competition with 8 teams making finals is ridiculous.
6 Go to commentsJoe's picks will be more interesting than Razors. The dumping of Dave Rennie for Jones has to be one of the worst exec decisions of all time. Joe and Dave have similar styles and personalities, the players should like that. Predicting some success for Aus this year. Well more than last year!
2 Go to commentsHey Ben, Thanks for your opinion article. As a die hard rugby tragic and loyal supporter of the game can I say your article seems a touch negative so I would like to offer a slightly different spin on it. I am assuming that the sole purpose of the Super Rugby competition is not just to be a training camp for the International teams but an independent event and competition in its own right with sponsors, media companies and teams that need a financial return. Now, from this rugby fans perspective, I am enjoying the last few weeks of the competition and enjoying the fact that most teams can still make the play offs and nobody wants the wooden spoon. Most rugby followers would agree to it being a travesty if the Crusaders or the Waratahs now made it to the final but history tells us it is very unlikely with the importance of home ground advantage. Playing each team once and a four team final would give the competition integrity and a level playing field for all teams but I would be surprised if it could satisfy the financial demands of the TV rights. Maybe a six team finals series might be a possible compromise.
6 Go to commentsAll good choices John, even the Tah players ha ha. Others that might be worth a look would be ; Cale, Tom Lynagh, Uru, Keunzle, Anstee and maybe Rory Scott because we need a backup to McReight and he has improved a lot from last year and Tim Ryan.
2 Go to commentsWe only have 12 teams - and probably should only have 10. If we cut it down to 10, had a single round robin format, and only had semi-finals and a grand final, the final game would be on the first weekend of May. Meanwhile the AFL (similar to the NRL) runs until the last weekend of September and starts almost a full month after Super Rugby. At least the players would get plenty of rest!
6 Go to commentsAs article says re Japanese Final. Todd Blackadder up against his old mentor/ coach at Canterbury and the Crusaders , Robbie Deans. Both legends in this part of the world. Richie Mo’unga, ( another legend), playing brilliantly for Toddy’s team.Great to hear.
1 Go to commentsNo doubt Razor will want to kick the 2024 campaign off with a decisive selection of the top match fit players to insure his selection as the appointed coach has maximum impact. We the supporters and critics will settle for nothing less because historically it is what we have become ingrained and accustomed to. With that in mind and the distinct fall from grace of his beloved crusaders we will expect him to stamp his mark in the same way he left his old post.
9 Go to commentsI would've expected a better turn around in response to the changes within the team and its management. Lacking in my opinion is the skill sets that once was and now seemingly vacant within the squads regular front runners. Furthermore there seems to be no set game plan, the accuracy that once was is no more, the quality off the bench were poor matchups and frankly I feel a lot has to do with the coaching. Never thought i’d be critising the sadas to this degree.
5 Go to commentsAverage AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
9 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
9 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to comments