The Black Ferns produced the type of rugby that should capture the nation's attention. Photo / photosport.nz
The Black Ferns produced the type of rugby that should capture the nation's attention. Photo / photosport.nz
OPINION:
Phil Gifford presents five talking points from the Black Ferns' 52-5 drubbing of Australia in Christchurch.
Something in the air
Four decades ago football in New Zealand took a massive leap forward when the prospect of the All Whites going to the 1982 World Cup in Spain won thenation's heart.
In seven weeks, when the Rugby World Cup kicks off at Eden Park, you sense the revitalised Black Ferns may also seize the sporting day.
There were just 3817 people at Orangetheory Stadium on Saturday night for the test with Australia. But being there and seeing high-quality rugby being played by the New Zealand team, there's the potential at the World Cup in October for the Black Ferns to skyrocket interest in women's 15-a-side rugby the way the All Whites did all those years ago for New Zealand football.
Yes, Cocksedge is that good
Halfback Kendra Cocksedge ranks with the all-time greats in the position, from Sid Going to Dave Loveridge to Justin Marshall to Aaron Smith.
Her pass is laser fast and accurate. She tackles ferociously. She reads the game like a chess master. There was a flash of uninhibited brilliance on Saturday with a flicked inside pass that sent co-captain and first-five Ruahei Demant into space.
Like all good halfbacks Cocksedge is feisty, so Aussie forward Shannon Parry, who denied her the ball after a penalty was awarded, was shoved back so hard she took one of her own players to the ground with her. Oh, and when she's not doing all of the above, Cocksedge is also the goalkicker.
Cocksedge is one of New Zealand's great halfbacks. Photo / photosport.nz
If they win, they won't win ugly
Coach Wayne Smith is nothing if not a realist, but he's also a visionary.
So after the test he was very clear about why the Ferns need to play a high-speed game in the World Cup to have any chance against the massive forwards who teams like England will field.
"We're not going to outmuscle those bigger teams, so we've got to be smart in the way we play, by raising the tempo of the game. And I want us to reflect this country too, by being pioneering, and being inventive."
Her heart is massive
One who fits the high-tempo, attacking bill perfectly is brilliant wing Ayesha Leti-I'iga. As a schoolkid she had to persuade her grandparents she was big enough to switch from sprinting to rugby. But her philosophy, she said in 2017, when she was a 16-year-old already playing senior provincial rugby, was eventually shaped by her initially worried grandfather, who told her, "Never be scared, and always play with your heart."
At 1.65m (5ft 5in) Leti-I'iga is unlikely to intimidate opponents by towering over them before the kick-off. But once the game starts she can dominate them in three crucial ways.
With her speed she can beat a tackler on the outside. Her strength allows her to blast through, shouldering defenders aside or powerfully fending them away. And like all great wings her step is a thing of beauty, as Wallaroos fullback Pauline Piliae-Rasabale found on Saturday, left grasping thin air as Leti-I'iga ran in her first try.
Wing Leti-I'iga caught the eye against Australia. Photo / Getty
Making sure nothing's lost in translation
Women's rugby here is making a massive shift, from being completely amateur to 29 professional player contracts, understood to be worth $60,000 to $130,000 a year, signed with New Zealand Rugby in February.
Loose forward Charmaine McMenamin, who had to endure spinal operations to remove bone spurs last year before making her way back into the Black Ferns, is one who as an amateur had left an office job of 10 years, when juggling rugby and work got too difficult.
She moved on to work as an electrician, but with the time she needed to rehab after her operations, professionalism came at exactly the right moment for her.
As a 32-year-old, who made her test debut in 2013, an adjustment back to a career after rugby shouldn't be difficult for her, or for other veterans in the squad.
But she does want the change to professionalism to be carefully monitored for younger players.
"You've got players now coming straight into the game from high school as teenagers, and the girls in my hub really want to see them get involved in something outside of footy. We have to make sure that there's development for players outside the game."
