Black Ferns sevens star Michaela Blyde is committed to her code. Video / Sylvie Whinray
Ten years after a historic upset doomed the Black Ferns’ World Cup chances, Ireland have inflicted another damaging blow in a stunning start to the WXV1.
The world No. 7, a year removed from contesting the third-tier competition, scored a 79th-minute try before barely landing a match-winning conversion to claim a 29-27 victory in Vancouver.
Ireland were $21 outsiders ahead of the encounter, finishing third in the Six Nations but having an apparent gulf in quality exposed in an 88-10 thrashing by England.
Yet they now boast a winning record from three games against New Zealand, with this victory potentially matching the 2014 triumph in costing their opponents a shot at silverware.
The Black Ferns will face showdowns against England and France to round out their campaign, with the world’s top-ranked side looming in a week.
“Pretty gutted for our group,” said co-captain Ruahei Demant. “Full credit to Ireland, they deserved that win, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow at the moment.
“We can’t dwell on our loss – we’ve got England in seven days and so the real test now will be how quickly can we take and enforce the lessons from this game and put out a performance that we’re proud of next weekend.”
England were too strong for Demant’s team at Twickenham a fortnight ago, racing ahead 24-0 before the Black Ferns pulled back a couple of tries and missed other opportunities.
Such profligacy also hindered their hopes against Ireland, creating a host of chances but being unable to apply the finishing touch, while two tries were disallowed in as many second-half minutes.
The world champions were always more dangerous with ball in hand and their individual quality was sufficient to repeatedly cut through the Irish defence. But errors and ill-discipline allowed their opponents to spend plenty of time in dangerous positions, with rising star Aoife Wafer powering over for a couple of tries off set pieces.
“They were pretty intense throughout that game and took their opportunities,” said coach Allan Bunting. “We gave them 100% respect; I wasn’t surprised by the intensity. They’ve played Six Nations, we’ve been watching them quite carefully and we knew that that was coming.
Amy Rule in action against Ireland. Photo / Photosport
“I felt like we were really getting into the game and felt like we were going to score points, but then had a few tries disallowed. We didn’t really capitalise on those opportunities and we found ourselves back in our 22 and we struggled to get out.”
The defeat was hardly ideal preparation for a rematch against England, who earlier extended their winning run to 18 matches by thumping the United States. But Bunting believed the coaching staff knew where New Zealand could find the requite improvements to match women’s rugby standard-bearers.
“We looked at our game and there’s a few areas where we can get a lot better,” he said. “We had quite a few opportunities [against England] and the big thing is about finishing those off – probably a little bit similar to today.
“With their defence and line speed, there’s plenty of space out there on the field, and it’s about being able to find that space.”
Demant insisted the Black Ferns could “absolutely” resurrect their tournament with a couple of wins, taking solace in the fact her side had been well beneath their best.
“It comes down to all of the things that we can control,” she said. “If we look at the opportunities missed in the game, the skillset that we have and the decisions that we can make, those are all factors that are within our control as individuals and as a team.
“On the other side of the ball as well, those are all things that we can control – our tackles, our decision-making around rucks.
The Black Ferns and Ireland last met during the pool stages of the 2014 World Cup, where the Irish claimed a 17-14 win, which prevented the Black Ferns from reaching the semifinals.
But a decade on, the Irish have had to work their way back up to the top level of the game. Last year, they were playing in the third-tier WXV3 competition, but showed their strengths en route to a third-place finish in the Six Nations which secured them a place in this year’ WXV1.
