New Zealand Women

New Zealand Women’s Rugby Union Team

The New Zealand women’s rugby team is the sport’s most accomplished and revered side. Also known as the Black Ferns (or Rarauhe Pango in Māori), the success of this team knows no bounds. They have repeatedly set and broken their own records, including winning six Rugby World Cups. In fact, since 1991, they’ve only lost against five of the 16 nations they’ve ever played against! 

Want to know more about the greatest women’s rugby team of all time? Keep reading to discover New Zealand’s title-winning performances, delve into their history and explore their upcoming matches.

New Zealand Women’s at the Rugby World Cup

As the tournament’s reigning champions, the New Zealand women’s rugby team has won more Rugby World Cup titles than any other nation. In total, the Black Ferns have claimed six RWC wins (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017 and 2021) across nine tournaments. 

Since 1998, the Black Ferns have never lost a RWC final. Back then, New Zealand overpowered the United States 44-12. Next, they defeated England in five finals: 19-9 in 2002, 25-17 in 2006, 13-10 in 2010, 41-32 in 2017 and 34-31 in 2021.

World titles aside, the New Zealand women’s rugby team has also endured disappointment. This includes the inaugural tournament in 1991, when the team’s campaign ended at the semi-finals. They lost 7-0 to the tournament’s victors, the United States. They faced the same fate at the 2025 edition, when they were surprisingly beaten by Canada at the semi-final stage. On both occasions, the Black Ferns won the third-place playoff. 

The team’s low point occurred in 2014. After four back-to-back world titles, New Zealand crashed out of the tournament in fifth place. They lost one pool-stage match, their 17-14 defeat against Ireland, which left them one point short of semi-final qualification. This loss also ended their incredible unbeaten run at the Rugby World Cup.

To date, the Black Ferns have missed just one tournament. They were absent from the 1994 RWC, which was cancelled and rescheduled at short notice. 

History of the New Zealand Black Ferns

The official history of the Black Ferns began in 1989, when the team was recognised by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU). The following year, in 1990, they contested their first international: a 56-0 triumph against the Netherlands.

Since then, the New Zealand women’s rugby team has risen through the ranks. Their meteoric success includes six World Cup wins as well as two titles in the Women’s Rugby Super Series (2015, 2019) and four titles in the Pacific Four Series (2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026).

With a wealth of wins, the Black Ferns have repeatedly topped the World Rugby Rankings. They became the number one ranked team in 2003 and held this spot until 2012. One year later, they climbed back up to pole position and remained there until 2020. 

Like the men’s team, the All Blacks, the women’s squad is also known by a moniker: the Black Ferns. This nickname comes from the mamaku, a native New Zealand black fern tree. This heritage is a large part of the Black Ferns’ identity and the team performs the haka before each of their matches. 

Black Ferns Rugby Squad

A team at the forefront of women’s rugby, the Black Ferns have produced some of the sport’s most celebrated and decorated players. This includes four inductees into the World Rugby Hall of Fame: Anna Richards, Fiao’o Fa’amausili, Farah Palmer and Huriana Manuel-Carpenter.

The current New Zealand women’s squad features some of rugby’s biggest names. Among the most notable is team co-captain and 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year, Ruahei Demant. Added to this, the current lineup also includes 2021 Rugby World Cup winners like hooker Georgia Ponsonby, lock Maiakawanakaulani Roos and centre Amy du Plessis.