"That's where I thought they were weak," Dennis said last night as he wife Nancy and daughter Julie were still coming to terms with the stunning victory that saw Ireland all but book their place in the quarterfinals.
Mother Nancy Rosser said Tania wept and wished they were there to watch the former Karamu High School pupil play her 50th international for Ireland.
Tania received her 50th cap from her son, Serge, 6, named after legendary French fullback Serge Blanco.
Asked if listening to one's father pays dividends, a grinning Dennis replied: "Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't. You know children."
It was the New Zealanders' first World Cup defeat since the semifinal against the United States in 1991. They must now beat the Americans in their final pool match and await the outcome of other results to advance to the playoffs.
The Black Ferns appeared to be in control after taking an 8-0 lead midway through the first half from a Selica Winiata try and Kelly Brazier penalty but Ireland stung them in the 34th minute when Heather O'Brien went over for Niamh Briggs to convert.
The score was 8-7 to New Zealand at the break.
Early in the second half, Brazier's penalty pushed the lead out to four but Ireland responded with a try to Alison Miller. It was converted as the underdogs nudged ahead, 14-11.
Brazier nailed a penalty to level terms but with 10 minutes to go Irishwoman Briggs responded with a penalty to claim a historic victory for Ireland.
"I don't think anyone expected us to pull it off," said Tania from France, still fighting back tears well after talking to her parents and Julie shortly after the final whistle.
"There was a lot of hunger from our Irish girls and they wanted it more than the Kiwi girls," she said, adding Ireland had a skip in their step before their kick-off against Kazakhstan on Sunday.
The former NZ Secondary Schools touch representative, who played sevens alongside Jensen, a former Central Hawke's Bay College pupil, for the Hastings team in the Hawke's Bay Sevens, said her father was brilliant.
"You know dad, he'll always give advice non-stop. I managed to do the things he said a couple of times."
She acknowledged the tremendous support from the Bay, especially Facebook messages from family and friends she hadn't been in touch with for a long time.
"It's huge. All the support I got from mum and dad and all the people at home just blew me away. I just wish they were here to watch me," she said of her parents who watched her at the 2006 World Cup in Canada.
She lauded her coaching stable for adopting a game plan and the squad for adhering to it. Ireland defensive coach Greg McWilliams, who had had a season with Napier Technical Old Boys, got a special mention, too.
"When you have someone who believes in you then your job becomes much easier."
Resigned to having her coach sub her in the last 10 minutes in keeping with tradition, Tania was initially surprised when nothing happened at the 70-minute mark.
"In the last eight minutes I was just a wreck and totally off my feet," said the halfback who offloaded to her first five-eighth to kick the ball out before wild celebrations.
"In the 73rd minute the adrenaline kicked in and I just carried on because dad had told me to work hard to the end and all the girls did that today right down to the final minute."
