The 49-strong camp has seen a mix of established and rising talent come together, with players rewarded for strong performances during the Super Rugby Aupiki season, as well as some being integrated into the XVs programme from sevens.
“[It’s a] really big opportunity this year and it’s probably the first World Cup that we’ve got direct funnelling into our team via, you know, we’ve got the Next Ferns programme, we’ve got Aupiki up and running, people know that they can come here and play and make a name for themselves now,” Tui said.
“Talking to the young girls, they’re moving cities, they’re doing whatever it takes to crack this team, so it’s just [a] different feel this year. It’s awesome.”
The Black Ferns go into the World Cup year with a new member of the coaching team, with former England first five-eighths Riki Flutey filling the void left by Mike Delany’s exit late last year.
With coach Allan Bunting having stressed the importance of a strong kicking game over the past few years, Flutey’s involvement in the group will be a welcome addition – and Tui noted it would be beneficial for the backline in particular.
“To have somebody brought in like that, resourcing us like that, it’s been pretty amazing and I think if you look at the kicking game in the women’s game internationally, territory is huge, you know, so tactically, we’ve got a gem in Riki.”
The Black Ferns come into the World Cup year on the back of a tough end-of-year tour last season that saw them drop two tests against England and one against Ireland, after they were beaten by Canada earlier in the year.
They finished the season with four wins from eight tests, however, speaking to the Herald earlier this month, Bunting said the team took plenty away from the year and knew what needed to be addressed in 2025.
That was a sentiment shared by Tui.
“I think it really helps when you’ve got a campaign plan, which Bunts, you know, he took a lot of time and he really talked about that a lot, he thought about it a lot,” she said.
“High competition, like you need it every single minute that you boot up or that you wake up, you need competition in there, which is awesome because everyone’s come back to tautoko [support] that kaupapa [initiative].
“You need to get on the same page and, man, the leadership team in this group – Alana Bremner, Kennedy Simon [now Kennedy Tukuafu], Ruahei Demant – like just amazing human beings, really humble people, really hardworking people, so really good leadership team in here as well.
“I’ve been watching all the games around the world and I’m so excited.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
