Ferns too clinical for Wallaroos
Black Ferns captain Les Elder hailed the world champions’ ‘‘clinical’ start as the secret behind their 47-10 win over the Wallaroos in Perth.
The New Zealanders raced to a 22-0 halftime lead on Saturday with player of the match No 8 Charmaine McMenamin collecting a double.
In the curtain raiser to Saturday’s Wallabies-All Blacks test at Optus Stadium, the Black Ferns ran in eight tries to two in a dominant display.
A delighted Elder, who scored a second-half try to cap an energetic individual display on the openside flank, said the hightempo beginning proved vital in the Black Ferns’ bouncing back from a loss to France in the recent United States Super Series.
‘‘We asked a lot of the team after the Super Series,’’ Elder said. ‘‘We played clinically at the start, which helped open things up at the end.
‘‘They tested us in early stages of the second half but I think the start we had really put them under pressure.’’
Wallaroos coach Dwayne Nestor felt his team was bullied by the Black Ferns. The Wallaroos have never tasted victory against the women’s world No 1 side, with the streak extended to 18.
‘‘We allowed ourselves to get bullied in the tackle contest – we had way too many balls stripped from us – we didn’t nail our tackles,’’ a disappointed Nestor said. ‘‘It’s a contact sport – you’ve got to go in and whack someone and we didn’t do it.’’
The Australians went into the match with high hopes after sweeping their two- test series against Japan but they found the Kiwis a big step up.
The Black Ferns dominated the physical contest, while the home side’s lineout struggled throughout the match, losing seven of their own throws.
While the scrum stood up, the Wallaroos’ poor ball security proved costly and limited their ability to build pressure.
New Zealand showed off an array of skills with McMenamin’s first try coming through a driving maul off a lineout before she finished off a brilliant counterattack after a poor Wallaroos kick. Wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga proved a constant threat for the Black Ferns and was rewarded with a 73rd-minute try.
Both the Wallaroos’ tries came in the second half through gutsy wing Lori Cramer.
Nestor said Cramer’s competitive spirit made her a standout.
‘‘Lori’s a good footy player and she brings a bit of character to the team but, behind that character, is a competitor and you can see that in her commitment to her defensive work,’’ he said.
Despite Wallaroos skipper Grace Hamilton’s valiant efforts all match, they still have plenty of work to do to close the gap on the world champions before Saturday’s return clash in Auckland.