'We'd clone her if we could': Black Ferns coach on phenom, Canada drought

The Black Ferns are gearing up for their semi-final clash with Canada in the Rugby World Cup, knowing full well that recent history is not on their side in the matchup.

Also setting the stage for the penultimate round of action at the tournament is the quarter-final stage, which saw the Kiwis struggle to put South Africa away throughout a gruelling first half. While Canada had run up a commanding 31-5 lead by the halftime break in their quarter against Australia, the Kiwis couldn’t shake the Springboks women, and the teams entered the break with 10 points apiece.

A 36-7 second half got the job done, but New Zealand’s forwards coach Dan Cron was put through some tense moments as South Africa broke with convention and committed all 15 players to lineout drives, and overpowered the Kiwis in the tight game. Cron had a humorous reaction to the innovative lineout play.

“Obviously, a pretty good Test for us against South Africa on Saturday,” he told Scotty Stevenson and Israel Dagg on Sport Nation. “It was just an epic day and a pretty special occasion. The forwards, we got put under a bit of pressure there, a couple of unexpected things that our team hadn’t seen before.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a 15-man maul since ’85 North Harbour.

“Our non-playing girls, their job is to analyse opposition lineouts. So after the game, I gave them the crack, I was like, ‘Where was that?!’ They just did these normal five-man, six-man inserts. So, they’ve really dropped the ball there. It was all their fault. I’ve never had to review maul defence off a scrum before. It was epic, mate.

“When you looked at the draw at the start of the year, we obviously go one game at a time, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s probably going to be us and Canada (in the semi-final), so we’ve been planning for this for quite a while, as I’m sure they have.

“And as you know, we haven’t beaten them the last two times, we’ve had a loss and a draw. So, it’s a huge challenge, but we’re pretty excited about it.”

Head-to-Head

Last 4 Meetings

Wins

1

Draws

1

Wins

2

Average Points scored

29

26

First try wins

25%

Home team wins

0%

The coach added that Canada have all the tools in their toolkit, but a winning performance will, as ever, come from the low numbers.

“It’s cliché, but it’s obviously won up front. They’ve got a very good pack, 130 maul metres, they had a maul against Australia that’s still going! So, we’re planning for that.

“What they’ve added to their game, though, is they’ve got the number one ruck speed at this World Cup. They play fast, they’ve got a great offloading game, a great 12, so they’re almost the complete package.

“But we’ve come a long way since those last games. We’re looking better every game. We’ve got some big match players that are here, and the brighter the lights, the more they shine.

“We’ve got a plan in place, time will tell, but fingers crossed.”

The Black Ferns have plenty of championship experience to lean on this week, with 2022’s all-conquering efforts fresh in the memory after a truncated World Cup cycle due to Covid-19.

Cron said his leaders were putting their experience to good use.

“There’s a clip that got shown to the team; it was actually our halftime huddle. We’ve spent a lot of time on decisions under pressure, and just walking towards the challenge. And to see our halftime huddle on the field, to see our leaders lead, and everyone be engaged and listening, as a coach, gave me a lot of confidence.

“We’ve got some very strong leaders out there, Ruahei (Demant’s) playing her 50th game this weekend, and 17 World Cup champions, and Olympic gold medallists and Commonwealth gold medallists.

“I’ll be honest, 10-all at halftime, I wasn’t ready for a parade. We knew Africa were going to test us, but man, they were epic. When they get their program up and running, and some kind of competition, and get half fit, man, they’re going to be a beast in women’s rugby.”

In addition to the team’s established stars, newcomers are coming through the ranks and breaking out on rugby’s biggest stage. While SVNS star Jorja Miller will miss the semi-final with an injury, 18-year-old phenom Braxton Sorensen-McGee is in scintillating form and will again line up on the right wing.

The teenager has also taken the opportunity to take some conversion attempts at the tournament, expanding her repertoire and furthering her already astronomical potential. She took over the kicking duties from Renee Holmes during the quarter-final.

“Ren’s gone from penthouse to outhouse in a week. She went five from six (off the tee against Ireland), and I think she threw the tee at Brax and blamed Riki Flutey,” Cron joked, before explaining how kicking duties are assigned. “On our day off, they have a kicking comp to see who’s going to do the kicking. So, we’re pretty blessed there.

“It was pretty humbling at dinner tonight. I was sitting beside Brax, actually. I try to mix up who I sit with, and she asked me when I first coached the Black Ferns, which was 2005. She wasn’t born.

“Mate, she’s a special player. We’d clone her if we could. She’s only 18 and she’s still learning the game, and she’s epic. I knew she’d be pretty special, but she’s just lighting this thing up.”