‘Hibernating’ Black Ferns aim to make a point
The Black Ferns will be out to finish off their short international season with a bang at Eden Park tonight, aiming for another trouncing of the Wallaroos.
The Glenn Moore-coached side will go into hibernation after this weekend as its six-test programme for 2019 comes to an end.
The only loss they’ve suffered this year was the 25-16 defeat to France in San Diego, while last weekend in Perth they thrashed Australia 47-10.
Given that the Wallaroos have never defeated the Black Ferns in 18 previous attempts, it can be expected that New Zealand will finish their season with another win, but Black Ferns captain Les Elder is after more.
‘‘We want to finish really strong,’’ the 32-year-old Elder said.
‘‘I still don’t think we’ve delivered what we’re capable of.
‘‘There were some critical areas at critical times where we had some lapses,’’ she added, referring to the Perth victory.
After this test, the Black Ferns will disperse to their Farah Palmer Cup teams, then rest.
However, Moore would have preferred if there were tests to play in the northern hemisphere after the domestic competition.
‘‘We would have liked to have had another series to go into,’’ Moore said.
‘‘We’ve got growth in the group, we’ve introduced 13 or 14 new players over the last 12 months and they’re developing nicely.
‘‘I think we’re steadily progressing, it’s important we keep winning as well.
‘‘That’s always our focus, even when we’re in a rebuilding phase.
‘‘The expectation in New Zealand is that we win and that’s the expectation we have of ourselves.’’
Given the delicate state Australia’s confidence will be in going into this test, a strong start will be important for the Black Ferns. A couple of early tries should set them up for a big score.
But if Australia can strike early, they could sniff history being made.
‘‘I wouldn’t expect them to be fragile, but we talk in-house about the importance of getting a good start,’’ Moore said.
‘‘There were a couple of games in San Diego where we weren’t there at the start and we had to play catchup.’’
Meanwhile, Wallaroos captain Grace Hamilton said their team had spent enough time licking its wounds after the mauling in Perth and would head into this test with a fresh approach.
‘‘It hurt. It was disappointing and I know we’re better than that,’’ Hamilton said.
‘‘Now’s our chance to rectify that and show them what we can do and how we can play.’’