Rugby World Cup: Gloves need to come off for Black Ferns

It’s believed Ruby Tui will be starting as fullback today.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Comment – As the lights began to dim on Eden Park last Saturday night, it was clear that we’d witnessed a special day for rugby in New Zealand.

Thirty-four thousand people, a comeback win for the Black Ferns and a really well done event was all everyone was talking about afterwards. The emotion of the opening day of the Rugby World Cup deserved the oxygen it was given to thrive over the last week – but that’s done now.

The Black Ferns now need to move into the mode of actually winning the tournament, starting with today’s match against Wales at Waitakere Stadium at 3.15pm.

While the 41-17 win over the Wallaroos was entertaining, it raised more than a few questions about the team and its progress, which will have to be answered in the next couple of games.

Wayne Smith has been consistently changing his side, consistently with a smile on his face and a very welcome dose of honesty in admitting that he and the Black Ferns coaching staff haven’t finished tinkering with selections. Which is fine, given that they still have gimme games against Wales and Scotland to come.

It’s meant that Ruby Tui will be starting at fullback for the pool game against Wales at Waitakere Stadium, which is believed to be the first time she’s done so in her entire career. With Ayesha Leti-Iiga hopeful of returning next weekend, it’s clear that Smith is trying to find a way to get her, Tui and Portia Woodman on the field at the same time.

The Black Ferns now need to move into the mode of actually winning consistently.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

However, while that trio have the ability to score a bunch of tries, really it might come down to how many they are able to stop. The women’s game is fantastic for wingers due to the space that’s generally available when they get the ball, which is why Woodman, Tui and Wallaroos wingers Bienne Terita and Ivania Wong accounted for eight tries between them at Eden Park.

But the Black Ferns’ problem was that the three tries that the Australians got meant they were down 17-0, which was only overcome with the help of simultaneous yellow cards that reduced their opposition to 13.

That is highly unlikely to happen again, which means it’s fair to say that while they won by 24 points, the Black Ferns were actually quite lucky to get out of that jam the way they did. They were also helped by the fact that the Wallaroos were clearly gassed by the 50-minute mark, a glaring representation of the different build-ups each team has had.

There were some pretty glaring defensive errors too by players who really should know better. However with a fresh backline taking the field, it might be a case of learning on the job again for the Black Ferns.

Today’s opponents, Wales, scraped home in a mistake-ridden but ultimately exciting opening game against Scotland last weekend. While the Welsh scored a couple of pretty good tries and their scrum looked very solid, they had to rely on the fact that Scotland’s goal kicking effort belonged in the toilet from Trainspotting. One thing is for certain: the Black Ferns won’t be given that kind of latitude once the business end rolls around.

Coach Wayne Smith.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

They need to thrash Wales and Scotland, with no remorse, to send a message to England and France about what they’re capable of. Smith made a comment during the week that the difference between coaching men and women was that the former needed to play well to feel good, while the latter needed to feel good to play well.

Smith happily confirmed that the squad was feeling good – really, it’s hard not to after the big crowd and good start to the tournament. Now it’s up to the players to translate those good feelings into sharp performances.