BLACK FERNS GET JOB DONE IN CANADA, PLUS WALLAROOS v USA
PACIFIC FOUR SERIES.
At TD Stadium, Ottawa:
Black Ferns 52 (Luka Connor try 2min, Ruahei Demant try 15min, Mererangi Paul tries 18min, 56min; Amy Du Plessis tries 44min 73min, Renee Holmes try 61min, Kelsey Teneti try 78min; Holmes 6 con)
Canada 21 (Sophie de Goede try 32min, Fabiola Forteza try 37min, Olivia DeMerchant try 50min; de Goede 3 con). HT: 21-14
Ignore the flattering scoreline. That was more like the type of examination the Black Ferns needed.
The reigning world champions showed ample of steel and composure to fend off Canada, 52-21, in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon (NZT) to all but stitch up the Pacific Four Series with a match to play.
A week after trouncing Australia in their first match of the year, this was a significantly different test for the Allan Bunting-coached New Zealanders, not that he’d be complaining.
After all, there’s only so much a team can pocket from one-sided hammerings – the real growth will come from matches such as their latest.
Sure, the score blew out, but they were in serious threat of being tipped up by Canada for the first time in history before a second half surge.
Indeed, cheered on by a record Canadian crowd of 10,090, the hosts were sniffing a mighty boil over before Black Ferns wing Mererangi Paul and fullback Renee Holmes bagged tries within the space of five minutes.
That blew what was a tenuous 28-21 lead out to a 19-point buffer, one which further ballooned when outstanding centre Amy du Plessis dived over for her second in the final 10 minutes.
Paul also bagged a brace on a day the Black Ferns scored eight tries, and roared out to a 21-0 lead inside the first quarter.
However, for a while it appeared they might pay the price for turning down an easy penalty and a 24-0 lead, as the hosts stormed back through tries to Sophie de Goede and Fabiola Forteza late in the first half.
Canadian captain and No 8 de Goede and flanker Forteza were menaces, both with the ball and defensively, ensuring the Black Ferns didn’t get an easy ride for much of the match, as they did against the Wallaroos last week.
Indeed, they weren’t allowed to rumble over the advantage line with ease, doing what they wanted when they wanted, and it rattled them.
Pushed passes went to ground as they were guilty of flinging the ball wide in a helter-skelter manner, leaving their outside backs as sitting ducks for the Canadians to line up and hammer.
Their lineout also creaked, they started falling off tackles, and their problems were compounded by a rising penalty count, as referee Sara Cox picked up a couple of high shots and the hosts made them pay for their inaccurate clean-out.
The Canadian pack had the upper hand for much of the first half, too, at one stage mauling the Black Ferns some 30 metres before Forteza dived over.
However, the Black Ferns, whose try of the match came via a smooth chip kick for du Plessis to gather, before she linked up with Sylvia Brunt and Kennedy Simon, who put Paul over, finished over the top of the hosts to bag a 14th straight win.
Clinging on to a 28-21 lead, Paul’s 56th minute strike, courtesy of a Holmes assist, sent the Black Ferns on their way.
As good as Black Ferns midfielder Amy Du Plessis was, it’s hard to go past Sophie de Goede. And not just because the Canadian battered her way past four defenders to smash over for the first of her team’s tries. The No 8 does it all, including kick goals.
7/10. There were too many unforced errors for it to rate higher. But this was an absorbing contest for more than an hour, before the Black Ferns showed their class. The Black Ferns scrum looked powerful all game ,but more so in the second half.
In the other game the Wallaroos have produced one of their finest performances to come away with a 58-17 thumping win over the USA in Canada.
The win boosts Australia into third on the Pacific Four standings, all but securing their place in the top division of this year’s WXV competition.
The win was set up by a dominant first half by the forwards, led by player of the match Eva Karpani who finished with a double.
It set the platform for the backs to shine as winger Maya Stewart crossed for a second-half hat-trick.
Only the USA stand in the way of a Pacific Four Series sweep for the Black Ferns, who are assured qualification for WXVI, held in New Zealand in October,2023.
Fresh off the back of hosting a record-breaking Rugby World Cup 2021 where the Black Ferns were crowned champions, New Zealand will welcome the world’s top teams in the six-team top level WXV 1 across three match weekends on 21 and 28 October and 4 November. 18 Teams will compete with 6 teams in WXVI in NZ, 6 teams in WXV2 in South Africa, 6 teams in WXV3 IN Dubai.
Cape Town in South Africa will play host to the six-team second level WXV 2 with matches being played across the weekends of 14, 21 and 28 October. Both competitions will be played in a cross-pool format.
The third level WXV 3 dates will mirror the same weekends as WXV 2 hosted at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
If you are still not watching women’s rugby, you have to get involved soon. This is top notch stuff will great skills, speed and execution.
Read this too
Comments