Black Ferns rule the world
The Black Ferns have been on the rollercoaster of their lives in a historic Rugby World Cup and finished with the euphoria of a sixth title before a world record crowd for the women’s game at Eden Park.
An outcome where they would beat the northern powerhouses, France then England, to lift the trophy they call ‘‘Nancy’’ seemed improbable only five months ago.
However, they beat both in similarly dramatic conclusions and did so with heart, some good fortune, determination, attacking flair, oodles of joy and fun which captured the public’s imagination, and a clinical efficiency of world champions in big moments.
The campaign began amid the turbulent fallout from last year’s troubled northern tour and the team’s damning culture review.
It ended with a magical night in Auckland on Saturday, completing a remarkable comeback in a dramatic final against world No 1 England, whose record winning streak ended at 30 after more than three years of dominance in which they have accelerated the game’s tentative steps into professionalism.
It wasn’t meant to be for England, despite a heroic effort with a player less after Lydia Thompson’s crucial red card in the 18th minute for rushing late into a tackle, clashing heads with Kiwi superstar Portia Woodman, who was knocked out.
This was New Zealand’s moment – it was written in the stars, said gracious England coach Simon Middleton – in iconic coaching mentor Wayne Smith’s last occasion on the game’s big stage and 42,579 filled Eden Park to create an incredible atmosphere.
Smith said the Black Ferns’ 34-31 victory against England was the most phenomenal moment of his career.
The 65-year-old reluctantly took the job in April after Glenn Moore’s resignation and joining the staff were some other familiar faces – fellow former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry and scrum guru Mike Cron – with assistants Wes Clarke and Whitney Hansen and sevens mastermind Allan Bunting.
That coaching team inspired the Black Ferns to glory in a tournament that should be a watershed moment for women’s rugby, although what’s next for their coaches isn’t yet clear – except for Smith and Henry, who have indicated they’re retiring.
The first women’s World Cup held in New Zealand – 31 years after its first tournament in Wales in 1991 – will be remembered for the passionate, unprecedented support the Black Ferns have revelled in, smiling, laughing, dancing and enjoying the moment with record crowds in Auckland and Whangā rei.
Eden Park was rocking on the opening night against Australia and for their semifinal with France, with a joyous, more diverse crowd that probably wouldn’t be seen in the typical audience for a live men’s rugby match.
Black Ferns such as Stacey Fluhler, Theresa Fitzpatrick and Ruahei Demant, amongst many others, have become household names alongside the stars like Woodman, Ruby Tui and retiring halfback Kendra Cocksedge, whose stellar career finished with a third World Cup title.
The exhilarating decider with England was, fittingly, the tournament’s greatest match with the best and biggest atmosphere to cheer the Black Ferns to victory to complete their turnaround from the lows of last November in Europe.
This World Cup has demonstrated what is possible when players are backed to play fulltime.
The Black Ferns, England and France are miles ahead of the rest at this point and the tournament will almost certainly look different when England host the next edition in 2025.
Bleating England fans lining up the referees as reasons their side lost the Rugby World Cup final took their quick taps from way off the mark.
Scottish referee Hollie Davidson and Welsh TMO Ben Whitehouse drew the ire of some punters on social media for their handling of some crucial moments in the wake of the Black Ferns’ 34-31 triumph at Eden Park on Saturday night.
However, the two young officials (Davidson 30 and Whitehouse 32) handled the huge occasion with aplomb, nailing all the big calls in what proved to be a decider for the ages.
For Davidson, who was an assistant referee in the 2017 decider and was whistling at a World Cup for the first time, her performance capped off a superb year, having also overseen the World Cup and Commonwealth Games sevens finals, the Six Nations grand slam decider, and making history as the first female to referee a men’s Six Nations team (Italy’s win over Portugal).
Here’s a look at those key refereeing moments from the gripping finale.
18min – Red card to England’s Lydia Thompson
This was undoubtedly the massive, match-turning, moment, with England cruising at 14-0 up at the time.
And on such a big stage, so early in the game, there would be no shortage of referees who would have found a way to avoid sending a team down to 14 for the rest of the game and potentially ruining the contest.
Davidson stayed strong, though, and after the tip from Whitehouse that it was head-on-head contact from the England winger on her opposite, Portia Woodman, she succinctly stepped through World Rugby’s ‘head contact process’ that the officials are bound by in the clamp-down on concussion.
‘‘For me, it’s clear head on head, she’s coming across at speed, it’s a reckless action, I’m seeing no mitigation,’’ she said. ‘‘Are you seeing the same thing?’’
‘‘A hundred per cent agree,’’ Whitehouse said.
65min – Yellow card to Black Ferns’ Kennedy Simon
Some were then left arguing there was inconsistency in Simon only being sin-binned, not sent off, for her own high tackle.
The Black Ferns’ co-captain, injected off the bench at No 8, chased down a flying Abby Dow but caught the head of the England winger.
The key here was where Simon first contacted Dow, and Davidson can be heard in conversation with assistant referee Aure´lie Groizeleau (France), being informed that the head contact was ‘indirect’.
Whitehouse looks at the angles available and, while it is a close-run thing, confirms Simon indeed connected with Dow’s shoulder before her head.
And this is hugely significant, as on the ‘head contact process’, if the contact is not ‘direct’ then it is not a red-card offence.
Crucially, this allowed the Black Ferns to have Simon back, and a full complement of 15, when clinging on at the death.
70min – Lineout call overturned
This didn’t involve a card but also proved contentious in some quarters, and had huge ramifications.
Up 31-29, England cleared to touch, but while first five-eighth Zoe Harrison’s kick went out on the full from outside her 22m, Davidson initially ruled the English would get the throw to the lineout, around halfway, as Black Ferns co-captain and No 10 Ruahei Demant had got a touch to the ball in her attempt to charge down the kick.
Despite Demant’s protests she didn’t touch the ball, Davidson was staying strong with her decision. However, that all changed when Whitehouse was able to view the replays. And when it was obvious there was indeed no touch by Demant, the call instead changed to a Black Ferns lineout, around 30 metres from the England line.
Significantly, New Zealand went on to score soon off that throw, with Ayesha Leti-I’iga’s try proving to be the match-winner.
79min – No penalty try for England
‘‘But what about the penalty try, ref?’’ came screams from the Twittersphere following the dramatic closing stages.
Rewind a little, and from a 78th minute lineout, 25 metres from their own line, the Black Ferns were penalised for collapsing an England maul.
Then, from the ensuing 79th minute lineout five metres out, Davidson again played advantage for the same offence, and, once England were deemed off their feet at a ruck, duly pinged the hosts. That is where some punters were left howling for a penalty try, the maul having been close to the goalline and their argument also fuelled by the Ferns having been done twice in quick succession for the same offence.
But, aside from how monumental a call it would have been to gift England the trophy in such fashion, it was never going to be a penalty try.
World Rugby’s laws state that a penalty try is awarded ‘‘if foul play by the opposing team prevents a probable try from being scored’’.
While you do indeed see penalty tries for collapsed mauls heading to the goal-line, the way officials rule on it is that the maul must be closing in on the line, with momentum behind it.
On this occasion, however, the maul was brought to ground very soon after it was formed, and still had five metres to travel to reach the tryline and could in no way be considered a ‘probable’ try.
What it was, rather, was smart defensive work from Joanah NganWoo, who got onto England lock Abbie Ward to try and quickly sack the lineout, which was then able to put a halt on that all-imposing English maul.