Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

WXV: New Zealand make a handful of changes in preparation for France

LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA - OCTOBER 06: Ayesha Leti-l'iga of New Zealand makes a conversion try during the WXV1 match between New Zealand and England at Langley Events Center on October 06, 2024 in Langley, British Columbia. (Photo by Rich Lam - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

The Black Ferns coaching staff have made five changes to the starting team ahead of their last WXV 1 match against France.

ADVERTISEMENT

The game on 12 October will be the 12th meeting between the two sides, the Black Ferns in search of their first win against Les Bleues since the 2022 Rugby World Cup semi-final (25-24).

Recent contests between New Zealand and France have been close encounters, France getting the better of the Black Ferns in their most recent meeting which was at last year’s WXV 1 competition (17-18).

Video Spacer

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

Video Spacer

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

France go into the match having lost their first WXV 1 match against Canada (24-46) but winning their second against the USA last weekend (22-14). New Zealand on the other hand have suffered two losses, narrowly losing to Ireland in the first round (27-29) at BC Place before a defeat to England in Langley (31-49).

Three changes are made to the forward pack with two coming into the front row. Kate Henwood and Amy Rule are named to start ahead of Chryss Viliko and Tanya Kalounivale, while Georgia Ponsonby returns to start at hooker.

The second row remains unchanged with Alana Bremner and Maiakawanakaulani Roos both earning starting places again. In the back row, Layla Sae takes the place of Kennedy Tukuafu at openside flanker, the latter moving to the bench. Sae will join Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who scored the first points in the match with England last weekend, and Liana Mikaele-Tu’u who retain their starting places.

Iritana Hohaia earns her first WXV 1 starting place for this year ahead of Maia Joseph at scrum-half, while Hannah King continues in the number 10 jersey. Ruahei Demant and Logo-i-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i (Sylvia) Brunt will partner up again in the midfield, supported on the wings by Katelyn Vahaakolo and Ayesha Leti-l’iga.

ADVERTISEMENT

The second and final change made to the backs comes at fullback with Mererangi Paul replacing Renee Holmes.

Related

Allan Bunting said: “Our group are determined to finish well this weekend. We have been through some challenging times; we’ve seen progression in certain areas of our game, but we need to be more accurate and consistent across the park. Collectively we have shifted onto France, who we know can be a formidable and unpredictable side. Fortunately, we get another opportunity this week to show all the hard work we have been doing.”

The Black Ferns currently have a 6-5 winning record against France, and will look to further their lead on 12 October at BC Place to finish WXV on a positive note.

Tickets for the match are available to buy HERE. 

Black Ferns team to play France is (Test caps in brackets);

1. Kate Henwood (7)
2. Georgia Ponsonby (26)
3. Amy Rule (26)
4. Alana Bremner (24)
5. Maiakawanakaulani Roos (28)
6. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (25)
7. Layla Sae (10)
8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker (8)
9. Iritana Hohaia (13)
10. Hannah King (6)
11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (13)
12. Ruahei Demant (40) (Co-Captain)
13. Logo-i-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i (Sylvia) Brunt (20)
14. Ayesha Leti-I’iga (23)
15. Mererangi Paul (11)

ADVERTISEMENT

Replacements

16. Atlanta Lolohea (4)
17. Chryss Viliko (9)
18. Tanya Kalounivale (17)
19. Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu (4)
20. Kennedy Tukuafu (nee Simon) (26) (Co-Captain)
21. Maia Joseph (7)
22. Patricia Maliepo (9)
23. Renee Holmes (21)

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

2 Comments
S
SadersMan 147 days ago

Bunting is delusional. The job is clearly too big for him. The Black Ferns have shown none to negative, "growth", as a team. Individuals may have progressed, true, but the team is a mess. They have been fully professional since 2022 but play like amateurs. We are back to 2021 NH tour vibes (onfield that is).


The granting of an historical 4 year full contract to Kennedy Tukuafu remains Bunting's most puzzling decision. At 26, she had offered little of the on-field quality deserving of such status. Her relegation v FRA this week was imminent imo & Bunting gets kudos for this decision. I would've tossed her from the 23, myself. In all tests this tour, she has been ineffective & doesn’t seem to have a point of difference (required of a loosie). Jackaling, high tackle rate, clean, carry, . . . anything???


Another puzzling selection is Bunting continuing to use our best 6 Alana Bremner 178cm & 77kg at lock in place of our best lock, Chelsea Bremner, 181cm & 88kg. Maia Roos at 179cm & 80kg needs a big body at her side. Neither she nor Alana are power locks.


Going forward I'd reshuffle the back 5 as follows:


4 Roos 5 Chelsea 6 Alana 7 Sae 8 Mikaele-Tuu with Olsen Baker bench impact. Alana is an option to cover lock, if required. I'd also be tempted to use a 6/2 split depending on the opposition.


Another issue I have with this week's selection is that the same core backline that leaked a million tries from set play v ENG is taking the field. Sure, FRA got thrashed by CAN, but it's still FRA, quite capable of stepping up & blasting us. What will be different for us this time? Clearer backfield comms? Sharper midfield reads??? I hope so.

J
JPM 146 days ago

Same coaching problem with France that is regressing rather than improving…and this is quite sad for a French fan.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

O
OrdonezRicci 54 minutes ago
Former All Black urges Blues head coach to shift Beauden Barrett to No.10

OMG, my crypto savings, around $230k, just disappeared in a flash! I trusted this broker for months, and they screwed me over, refusing access to my trading account after I tried to pull out. I was lost, thinking there was no way I'd ever see that money again. I even tried a few "asset recovery hackers" who were useless and stole more from me with empty promises, sad. Then, I stumbled upon a review on Trustpilot from Jenny, someone I knew a little, and she'd had a similar nightmare with crypto scammers. She mentioned how she got help recovering her lost Bitcoin. My situation was even worse; it was USDT, a whopping $230k I had sent to this fake trader on Telegram, who promised a 300% ROI in three months, dumb me to believe that.  I confided in my associate, and she introduced me to DUNENECTARWEBEXPERT on Telegram. They're a team of legit ethical hackers with tons of experience in private investigations and crypto recovery. Seriously, that referral from Jenny changed everything. I got back my lost money, and I can't stop emphasizing the breakthrough DUNENECTARWEBEXPERT has brought to my life. Suppose you are in any investment or review for gains platform. In that case, I highly suggest you contact DUNENECTARWEBEXPERT via Telegram to check their legitimacy because they will just keep asking you for deposits until you are wrecked financially and emotionally. Don't fall for these investment gimmicks, get in touch with DUNENECTARWEBEXPERT via Telegram to help you recover your lost money and crypto assets back from crooks.: support AT dunenectarwebexpert DOT com

4 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
The numbers show Super Rugby Pacific just got even tougher

“The competition is tough, because you’ve got to spit out performances every week, and to be able to do that consistently you’ve got to have good depth.”

You’ve got to look forward to next weekend more than anything too.

The bonus points view is a good one. The majority of bonus points earned in the first three rounds last season were for scoring three tries more than the opposition, while three quarters of bonus points in 2025 have gone to the losing side getting to within seven points of the victors.

They really use this sorta system? Much smaller pool of bonus points available, that would mean they have far less impact. Interestingly you must be withen winning range/chance in France’s Top 14 league, rather that just draw territory, so 6 points instead of 7. Fairly arbitrary and pointless (something the NRL would do to try and look cool), but kinda cool.


I said it Nick’s and other articles, I’m not sure about the fixed nature of matchups in these opening rounds. For instance, I would be interested in seeing an improved ranking/prediction/reflection ladder to what we had last year, were some author here game so rejigged list of teams purely based of ‘who had played who’ so far in the competition. It was designed to analyze the ladder and better predict what the real order would be after the full round robin had completed. It needed some improvement, like factoring in historical data as well, as it was a bit skiwif, but it is the sort of thing that would give a better depiction of what sort of contests weve had so far, because just using my intuition, the matchups have been very ‘level appropriate’ so far, and were jet to get the other end of the spectrum, season ranked bottom sides v top sides etc.

3 Go to comments
M
Marlece Davis 4 hours ago
Crusaders prepare for 'dangerous in all elements' Chiefs game-breaker

I initially started trading with Pips Global because of the variety of trading accounts they offered, including their Funded Next accounts. These accounts seemed like an appealing opportunity, as they gave traders the chance to trade with a larger balance after successfully passing a challenge. For someone like me who was looking to scale up my trading without having to risk a significant amount of my own capital, it seemed like the perfect option. At first, I started with their Micro account, which had high leverage, fast market execution, and tight variable spreads. All these features seemed to align well with my trading goals, and I felt confident moving forward.However, things took a turn for the worse as I continued trading. I ended up losing a significant amount, around 30,000 AUD, due to what I now believe was a scam. The trades I placed weren’t executing properly, and there were discrepancies with the spreads and market conditions. I tried to reach out to Pips Global’s customer support, but I wasn’t receiving the kind of help I expected. It became increasingly clear that the platform wasn’t as reliable as I had originally thought, and I felt completely stuck.In my search for a solution, I came across PYRAMID HACK SOLUTION, a service that specializes in helping people recover lost funds from fraudulent brokers. Their team was highly professional, thorough, and patient. They guided me step by step through the entire recovery process, keeping me informed at every stage. They also provided me with solid advice on how to avoid falling into similar traps in the future. Thanks to PYRAMID HACK SOLUTION, I was able to recover my 30,000 AUD, which was an incredible relief after such a stressful experience.If you’re considering trading with Pips Global, I strongly recommend doing thorough research before committing. Website; https://pyramidhacksolution.com While their Funded Next accounts and other account options might seem enticing, my personal experience with them was ultimately disappointing. I would advise anyone looking to trade with them to be cautious, especially if things don’t seem to be going as expected.If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, I can’t recommend PYRAMID HACK SOLUTION enough. WhatsApp; +447414280914 Their expertise in fund recovery was a lifesaver, and they were instrumental in helping me get my money back. Thanks to their support, I’m now back on track, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson about being more cautious with online trading platforms.

6 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING France change two for Ireland but stick with 7-1 bench tactic France change two for Ireland but stick with 7-1 bench tactic
Search