The previous time Glenn Moore’s team lost to the English he put on his thinking cap and won a World Cup. Will it be the same this time round?
The circumstances are very different.
For all the glory of the Red Roses’ recent triumph at Sandy Park, that previous win was away from home – though there were a goodly number of Lions’ fans in Rotorua to cheer them on. But they couldn’t quite finish the job two months later in Belfast.
Things have changed a lot in the last four years. The Red Roses are even fitter than then, so less likely to fall off the pace in the second half. The Ferns have been deprived of international competition for over two years, the direct fault, local critics say, of New Zealand Rugby.
Alice Soper, who must be the most outspoken of advice-givers, calls NZR to account. Why had the Ferns not played for 806 days, when the Blacks most certainly had? To her it smacks of gender discrimination. She demands a second tour to Europe before the RWC to bring the Ferns up to speed. But then, both England and France had planned tours in the reverse direction for the same reason. There is no news yet of them being reinstated, though there certainly is the time and desire.
Northampton
Now for the rematch at Franklin’s Gardens. It is perfectly possible that Kelly Brazier and Portia Woodman will be restored to the line-up, which would at once add mightily to its know-how and menace. It depends on how niggly their niggles prove to be.
Moore knew he was putting out an experimental side at Exeter. Second time round there may well be changes, even wholesale. He’ll want to offer a distinctly tougher pack at scrum and breakdown, areas where the English really upset forecasts before and after the bench was emptied. The line-out is bound to be better second time round.
Those basic building blocks will help the team to perform as it normally does, relentlessly and successfully.
Big changes to the Red Roses seem much less likely. If it ain’t broke… Simon Middleton knows a second win is vital from every possible point of view, short and long-term. So long as everyone has come through unscathed (that would be a blessing) only the tiniest adjustments might be made, for example, if Amber Reed were fit again. Lagi Tuima has many assets to her game, but there were moments when her decision-making proved fallible, kick or run, dummy or give?
Claudia Macdonald did well, feeding her backs quickly and accurately, but under the pressure of the biggest game of her life (she did play against the Ferns in California, but on the wing), she was somewhat one-dimensional. That may well have been the order of the day: feed the wide backs. But her one variation, when she ran across the face of the Ferns’ defensive line, led directly to Holly Aitchison’s debut try.
If it is felt she is fit enough after a lengthy injury, Leanne Infante may get the nod at No 9.
And if Middleton allowed players like Alex Matthews and Harriet Millar-Mills to start, the team’s strength would hardly be affected.
Even so, the odds must remain on (nearly) the same team trotting out at the weekend. They will be wonderfully buoyed by their first outing.
Alongside their two tries the Ferns came close to scoring on other occasions. The question is how much better they can perform second time round. A full programme of the Farah Palmer Cup means they have been used to playing consecutive games, but not at the intensity of an international. Their fitness and stamina will be put to the test at the rematch.
And they are all aware that that still leaves two hard encounters against a fine French squad to come. A really demanding schedule.
Their future programme:
November 7 v England, Northampton
November 13 v France, Pau
November 20 v France, Castres
