2019 Black Ferns
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The prize is already in the bag, but I'm looking forward to another great game on Saturday!
Black Ferns to play the Wallaroos (Number of caps in brackets, *denotes debut):
1 Toka Natua (21)
2 Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate (29)
3 Aleisha-Pearl Nelson (34)
4 Eloise Blackwell (42)
5 Charmaine Smith (26)
6 Pia Tapsell (5)
7 Les Elder (Captain,17)
8 Charmaine McMenamin (24)
9 Kendra Cocksedge (Vice captain, 52)
10 Ruahei Demant (10)
11 Ayesha Leti-I'iga (8)
12 Chelsea Alley (23)
13 Carla Hohepa (24)
14 Renee Wickliffe (40)
15 Selica Winiata (Vice captain, 39)16 Luka Connor (3)
17 Leilani Perese (10)
18 Olivia Ward-Duin (1)
19 Jackie Patea-Fereti (17)
20 Kennedy Simon (3)/Joanah Ngan-Woo (3)
21 Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu (5)
22 Krysten Cottrell (7)
23 Grace Brooker*Uncapped Canterbury utility back Grace Brooker, experienced Wellington lock Jackie Patea-Fereti, and Bay of Plenty hooker Luka Connor, have all been added to the Black Ferns reserves for Saturday's Test.
LIVE on Sky Sport 1; kick-off 5.00pm.
http://www.allblacks.com/News/34547/three-changes-to-black-ferns-side-to-play-australia
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Less than 10 minutes played, and both teams have already scored a try. BFs lead 7 - 5
First try scored by Demant; the Aussie try scored by Aussie 7s speedster Mahalia Murphy.
I started watching via the spidercam channell (ch 50), but while it gives some beautiful views of the scrum, line-out etc, it generally moves too slowly to my liking. I've moved back to SS1.
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Australia was competitive for parts of the game, but just couldn't break the Ferns' defence. NZ definitely had a much better bench.
2019 has been a good year for the Ferns. Six tests, one loss to France (after a short turnaround of 4 days) and 5 wins. Firmly at the top of the World rankings.
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From the ARU website:
Major boost to Wallaroos fixture list The Wallaroos will play the top five rugby nations in the world next year in an outstanding preparation for the women's World Cup in 2021. The arrival of England and France on our shores next November, on their way back from a tour of New Zealand, will be the cherry on top of a new annual tournament involving the US, Canada, Australia and the Black Ferns. That annual four nations tournament is set to propel the Wallabies [I assume they mean Wallaroos] from a team full of part-time players with potential, to a competitive unit regularly playing the best nations in the world.
I haven't found anything about this on allblacks dot com, or the websites of the other countries mentioned. Interesting to read that England and France will tour New Zealand in November next year. I wonder whether this new four nations tournament will replace the Super Series? Nothing lost if England and France keep on touring NZ every year (or NZ touring these countries), but if the new tournament means for the future that we don't play England and France annually, that wouldn't be a good development. England and France are the Black Ferns' strongest rivals.