New Zealand Rugby has apologised for failing to properly support the elite women's game following a damning review into the Black Ferns culture. Video / Dean Purcell
OPINION:
The review into the Black Ferns' culture this week called for change, and now we have it, with the resignation of Glenn Moore.
There is now a vacancy at head coach and a shortlist of applicants must be assembled.
The experience of Wayne Smith is on board, so let'suse this opportunity to bring in the new wave. Earlier this week, I put forward Anna Richards, Crystal Kaua and Victoria Grant. Add to this list the gold-medal winning coach, fresh from a Super Rugby Aupiki win, Allan Bunting.
The benefit Bunting brings? The players know him, trust him and he has experience with building a winning culture in the women's game.
The coaching spots filled, let's look at the team. Perhaps now we will see form rewarded and as a start, see all the nominees for the Seiuli Fiao'o Fa'amausili Medal, New Zealand's domestic player of the year, be offered contracts. Maybe now too, other players turned off by past management may answer the Black Ferns call-up.
With the team in place, game time is required. The confirmed events between now and October are the Farah Palmer Cup, and for the sevens players, the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens.
So test matches are required, and strong domestic alternatives should Covid-19 again run amok. With the Farah Palmer Cup window having been shifted forward to run from July to August, let's do something off the back of this, perhaps another Probables versus Possibles series.
The best-case scenario would see the Black Ferns play this series and their Northern Hemisphere rivals before the World Cup.
The Black Ferns need support to win the World Cup. Photo / Photosport
As the demands on talent grows so too must the pool of resources to support them. While it's a World Cup squad of 30, far more than the 29 contracted players will contribute to the World Cup campaign so they must be compensated fairly for their time.
New Zealand Rugby launched its hub model this year, with high performance programmes operating out of Auckland, Waikato, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch. The Black Ferns need these programmes to be the best and reflective of the latest in sports science. Their major rivals, England, are incorporating research on menstruation into their training. New Zealand Rugby needs to get Aotearoa's own leading academic, Dr Stacy Sims, to help inform their plans.
A busier rugby schedule will go a long way to building the fan base for the World Cup. The lofty goal of filling Eden Park to capacity has been stated, and just like the players, now the audiences need to get match-fit.
The silver lining? There's nothing New Zealand loves more than a little battler. With backs against the wall, the Black Ferns are fighting for their legacy and future. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
If all this seems unlikely, remember this is what women's rugby is made of.
In 1994, Scotland were set to make their World Cup debut when the memo arrived, just 90 days out, notifying them that the tournament had been cancelled. They took this news to their players at the local pub and at that moment decided no - they wouldn't let this opportunity slip and decided to host it themselves.
Just 10 days ago, World Rugby announced this tournament would now be formally recognised with the winner engraved on the trophy.
