Black Ferns too strong for Australia
AUCKLAND: As the World Cup nears, the Black Ferns are trending in the right direction.
In their penultimate test before the tournament begins in October, the Black Ferns were far too strong for their Australian counterparts, scoring 50 points for the second straight test in their 525 win in Christchurch on Saturday night.
At the end of last year, things were looking dire for the New Zealand side. Just a year before the World Cup, it went without a win on its northern tour, well beaten in all four tests. It might still be hard to gauge how the Black Ferns stack up against the likes of England and France heading into the World Cup, but what is certain is they will go into the World Cup much improved and equipped with a highvolume, strikefromanywhere style of attack.
It flaunted that against Australia from the opening whistle, trying to spread the ball to the wing immediately. While that particular passage ended in a knockon, the intentions were clear.
The execution wasn’t always tidy when the Black Ferns looked to spread the ball. At times, they lacked depth and timing on their runs but for the most part they were firing.
In the playmaking roles, Ruahei Demant and Kendra Cocksedge pulled the strings well, while wingers Ruby Tui and Ayesha LetiI’iga showed they
could threaten anytime they had the ball in their hands. Tui also showed her willingness to put boot to ball and back her speed down the edges, giving the defence that extra thing to think about when trying to slow the Black Ferns’ attack down.
With the pack taking strong carries into the defensive line — Joanah NganWoo and Kennedy Simon with some standout charges — and providing quick ruck ball, the Black Ferns were able to launch attack after attack. At the set piece, it was hard to fault the New Zealand side. Hooker Georgia Ponsonby was particularly impressive, her lineout throwing on target, and she worked hard to get over the ball at the breakdown, earning turnovers and pressuring the Australians.
It wasn’t until the final play of the game that the visitors were able to get on the board, Piper Duck scoring in the corner.
The sides will meet in the second test of the O’Reilly Cup series in Adelaide next weekend.