Black Ferns v Warriors battle brewing in 2025
Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting believes the lure of next year’s World Cup could be the key to help New Zealand Rugby fend off the threat from the new Warriors women’s team.
The Black Ferns announced a list of 40 contracted players for 2024 on Monday, with negotiations still ongoing with World Cup-winning prop Krystal Murray to claim the 41st and final contract available.
With the Warriors set to re-enter an expanded 12-team NRLW competition in 2025, NZR will have some new competition to contend with when it comes to securing their best women's players next year.
2025 will be a big year for the Black Ferns as they look to defend their Rugby World Cup crown after their 34-31 win against England at Eden Park three years ago.
Australian NRLW teams have already managed to convince Black Ferns Sevens stars like Gayle Broughton, Stacey Waaka and Tyla King to switch codes.
The competition should be even more fierce next year with a New Zealand NRLW team re-entering the market after a fiveyear absence, especially at a time when the Warriors men’s team have experienced a boom in popularity.
The 12-team, 11-round NRLW season is almost twice as long as the four-team, sixround Super Rugby Aupiki.
The Warriors are yet to make any signings for 2025 but Black Ferns like Ruby Tui, Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Katelyn Vaha'akolo would no doubt be prime targets.
While he accepted some of the Super Rugby Aupiki players who missed out on Black Ferns contracts could now be snapped up by NRLW clubs this year, Bunting said it didn't have to be a one-way street.
Vaha'akolo had previously played rugby league and is now one of the Black Ferns’ most promising players.
“Obviously they [NRLW clubs] are going to be looking at the talent through New Zealand and they had a good look through Aupiki,” Bunting said.
“But I think it opens another window for us to look at talent in league. We’ll be taking a close look overseas and I know some of our sevens players are going over there but that’s more a break and to learn and to do something different.
“Some of our ladies who haven’t been selected [for the Black Ferns] will probably go over there too and obviously we don’t want to promote that but presently there isn’t anything here for them and it’s going to be really beneficial for them.”
Although Super Rugby Aupiki is over far too quickly, next year’s competition could get an injection of star power with Bunting teasing the return of some of Black Ferns Sevens players in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Waaka was a key member of the Black Ferns’ World Cup winning squad in 2022 and Bunting said he has already spoken to other sevens players who want to commit to the 2025 World Cup too.
“I’ve talked to some of the sevens ladies and the ladies who have missed it want to come back and go to a World Cup,” Bunting said.
“Aupiki next year will be really important and it’s going to be fiercely contested. The sevens girls would have finished the Olympics so they will be in that and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Black Ferns are currently in camp in Upper Hutt preparing for next month’s Pacific Four Series featuring New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Bunting was due to name a 30-strong squad for the tournament next Tuesday.