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Why coach was ‘worried’ about Black Ferns’ heartfelt hug with King Charles

By Finn Morton
King Charles III meets New Zealand's Black Ferns rugby union team at Buckingham Palace on September 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Black Ferns assistant coach Dan Cron has reflected on the incredible experience of meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and explained why he was “worried” when the players went to hug the 75-year-old Monarch.

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In the leadup to the Black Ferns’ clash with England’s Red Roses at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, the New Zealanders had the privilege of meeting the King. The Black Ferns have shared multiple videos on social media, including one moment that has gone viral.

With some of the Black Ferns watching on, winger Ayesha Leti-l‘iga stood in front of the King and bravely asked whether the players could have a hug. “A hug? Why not,” was how King Charles responded before the players came together for an iconic embrace.

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Of the four videos the Black Ferns have shared online from their trip to Buckingham Palace, that moment has caught fire online. At the time of writing, other videos have 277 comments and another has 480, but the hug clip has a staggering 5,993.

“I much appreciated this chance to meet you and have such a warm hug from most of you,” King Charles III later said. “Very healing.” When looking back at the entire experience, coach Cron reflected on how “surreal” it was to visit the royal palace.

“The hug thing, I could tell it was coming… I was worried they were going to put a scrum down to be honest,” Cron quipped during an interview on SENZ’s Scotty & Izzy.

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“It was a pretty proud moment, mate, to be honest. It was a boy from Hillmorton High in there meeting the King. It was pretty cool.

“I was very lucky enough to be directly behind him, for me it was a way of looking over his shoulder, and it was a pretty proud moment as a Kiwi to be standing in that room and that occasion,” he added when asked about the team’s waiata.

“To see a team that I’m apart of perform like that, words can’t describe it pal to be honest.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
4
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
39
21
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
80%

On Saturday, the Black Ferns will look to cap off an exciting week when they take on the Red Roses at the iconic London rugby venue. The newly named Allianz Stadium is expected to host about 40,000 spectators less than a year out from the Rugby World Cup.

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New Zealand claimed a thrilling 34-31 win in the last World Cup Final in 2022, with a full house at Auckland’s Eden Park watching the two heavyweights of international women’s rugby go head-to-head in an enthralling decider.

They met again last year in Aotearoa, with the English taking out that one 33-12. It was a commanding performance from a side that still would’ve been hurting from that loss in the biggest game of all, where they almost pulled off a comeback despite going down to 14.

England have won three of the last five, including two commanding wins 43-12 and 56-15 during New Zealand’s end-of-year tour in November 2021. But that was then and this is now.

The stage is set for another epic between the top two ranked sides in women’s rugby.

“I know when I signed up to coach, the first thing I looked at was when we play England,” Cron explained.

“we’ve had a very big build-up for it. We had a great three-week camp in New Zealand and came over here Saturday. We’ve ticked the tourist box now and now it’s footy time.

“We pretty much had a game today against Wales, had a good hit-out against them. The girls just don’t hold back at training – it’s two girls enter, one girl leaves.

“From a coaching point of view, I’m pretty excited about where we’re at. It’s been a good prep and all that is left to do now is go out and execute and play with a bit of mana.”

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Comments

5 Comments
T
Terry24 25 days ago

They should have thrown him a rugby ball, tackled him, declared him 'wrong side of the ruck' and studded the f**k out of him, 90s style, until his bodyguards broke it up.


NZ needs to stop this love affair with a monarchy. Having a European 'King of New Zealand' on the other side of the planet tying NZ to an undignified colonial history is something that the modern country should be able to move beyond.


The retort that the monarchy is now a benign institution does not bear any real scrutiny.

T
Teddy 27 days ago

They should only be worried if their kids are getting hugs from Charlie's brother.

M
Mike 28 days ago

It was a lovely moment. Good on Charles for agreeing to it. Bet his security detail were freaking out though! 😂

M
MB 28 days ago

Why I love rugby? Let me count the ways!

B
BM 28 days ago

To be sure Mike! Ayesha Leti-I -Inga is just a real character and has had to wait 2 years for the opportunity. She is delightfully irrepressible! ...and would love to score again! 😜 Just hope weather is lovely so both teams and officials can enjoy a memorable contest for a record crowd and worldwide acclaim. Can't wait!!! 🤣

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EV 5 hours ago
Is this why Ireland and England struggle to win World Cups?

Rassie is an extremely shrewd PR operator but the hype and melodrama is a sideshow to take the attention from the real reason for the Boks dominance.


Utimately the Boks dominate because Rassie and his team are so scientific and so driven. His attention to detail and obsessive analysis smacks of Tom Brady's approach.


He has engineered a system to find and nurture talent from the best schools to the most desolate backwaters. That system has a culture and doctrine very similar to elite military units, it does not tolerate individuals at the expense of the collective.


That machine also churns out three to five world class players in every position. They are encouraged to play in Ireland, England, France and Japan where their performance continues to be monitored according to metrics that is well guarded IP.


Older players are begged to play in the less physical Japanese league as it extends their careers. No Saffa really wants to see Etzebeth or Peter Steph or Pollard play in France or British Isles. And especially not in South Africa, where you just have these big, physical young guns coming out of hyper competitive schools looking for blood.


Last but but no means the least is the rugby public's alignment with the Springbok agenda. We love it when they win between World Cups but there is zero drama if they lose a game or a string of games for the sake of squad depth.


It's taken time to put it together but it has just matured into a relentless machine.

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