All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan and hooker Dane Coles are not keen to repeat history - being knocked out in the 2019 semifinals - as they look to take on Argentina this Saturday. Video / NZ Herald
The Black Ferns’ last encounter with the French was one charged with emotion - a physical encounter in the World Cup semifinals that saw the New Zealand side chasing for much of the game.
There will be few in that team who will forget the nervous wait as Caroline Drouin lined up what would have been a game-winning shot at goal. The French five-eighths sent it wide, the Black Ferns held on, and their next game would end with them being crowned world champions.
But a lot has changed since then.
On Saturday night, the latest incarnation of the Black Ferns will get their first shot against France in their opening test of the WXV 1 tournament in Wellington.
Of the Black Ferns’ 23-strong team who contested last year’s semifinal, nine are not in the current squad, while a different coaching staff is at the helm.
“We haven’t faced any of the European teams this year, so the girls are really excited to see how we measure up; the game style with our new coaches, and all of the new talent we’ve blooded throughout this year,” Black Ferns lock Maiakawanakaulani Roos said.
Maiakawanakaulani Roos. Photo / Photosport
“I don’t know if it’s possible to expect anything from the French. They can do everything, so I guess we’re expecting a bit of sporadic play, lots of kicks, and some very fit and fast rugby.”
Throughout 2023, the Black Ferns have been consistently building through the O’Reilly Cup and Pacific Four tests. However, the clash against the French will give them a fair indication of where they stand against the elite teams in the world game.
In their last five meetings, France have won four of them; the Black Ferns’ semifinal win in 2023 ended a four-game skid against the French.
While the side expected a bit of everything from the French, Roos wasn’t giving too much away in terms of just how things differ with so many new faces in the Black Ferns environment.
“Oh, I can’t tell you our secrets,” Roos quipped.
“We’ve been working really hard on nailing our individual roles and nailing our superpowers. The French don’t know us individually, so our individual superpowers will come out on Saturday, and I think that will feed into our collective game as a team, and that’s really exciting.”
The test will be the Black Ferns’ first of three in the tournament, with England, Wales, Australia and Canada also in town. Over the next three weeks, the Pacific Four and Six Nations teams each play one another in a round-robin format; the Black Ferns meet Wales in Dunedin next week before finishing the tournament against England in Auckland on November 4.
“It’s a yearly competition, so this will just accelerate the growth of the game, bring some more high-quality competition to the people of the world in media form; more rugby to watch, more high-quality rugby to watch will only grow our game even more, and that’s really special.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2016 and is an avid fan of most sports, with a particular interest in combat sports.
