Wayne Smith has published the names of 33 players to form the Black Ferns squad to face Australia home and away in the O’Reilly Cup (two tests) – see list below.
There are several points of interest.
Smith stresses that he and his staff are still looking for talent to add to the squad. This is not a World Cup pick.
After the northern tour of last autumn, we should be used to the small numbers of caps already gained, but they can still surprise.
In particular two new young props find a place as debutants, Tangen-Wainohu and the teenager Taumata. They replace three props who appeared in the Pacific Four series. A mere two months before the World Cup, this looks almost reckless.
Use of Resources
Players are still expected to double up at the World Sevens Cup and the Fifteens RWC, though the one follows the other barely a month apart. The reliance on Sevens players, for example Tyla Nathan-Wong and Theresa Fitzpatrick, (the Ferns were heartbroken at losing the Commonwealth Games final to the Wallaroos) doesn’t speak well of the 15s programme. Why the continuing reliance on the other squad? England and now France have drawn a line between the two squads. The French 7s team has flourished. Like Ruby Tui at the start of the Pac-4, Tyla Wong will be playing her first ever 15s game for the Ferns. Hard to credit.
Who’s in charge?
Smith joins the many coaches who prefer co-captains (Ruahei Demant and Kennedy Simon). They may have good reasons for this division of responsibility, but too many cooks spoil the broth. It means too that the previous captain, Les Elder, is overlooked. Fine player as she is, her lack of size and weight had to count against her on the flank. It adds another dose of inexperience to the brew.
Ins and Outs
Anyone who witnessed the 2017 RWC matches will remember the name Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali, the powerful, aggressive first five-eighth (No 10). What is less obvious is why she is only now returning to favour. Another highly experienced player reappearing is Charmaine McMenamin to add know-how to the back-5.
Three players who appeared in the Pac-4 are discarded: Carla Hohepa, Patricia Maliepo and Cheyelle Robins-Reti All three were in Europe too. Maliepo’s omission is hard to understand; she was one of the more promising youngsters on show in England.
Outlook brighter?
There can be no doubt that the Black Ferns will be infinitely fitter than last year. The improvement in their skills level and cohesion was evident in the Pac-4.
Their immediate opposition, the Wallaroos, put up a much better performance in the Pac-4 than expected, but their results in Trans-Tasman bouts mean the Black Ferns won’t be tested as strongly as they would wish pre-EWC. But the same goes for the two other short-odds favourites, England and France.
Fixtures v Australia:
Saturday 20 August, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
Saturday 27 August, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
The Squad:
(I use British terms for some of the positions)
Hookers
Luka Connor (aged 25, Chiefs, Bay of Plenty, 6 caps)
Natalie Delamere (25, Matatū, Bay of Plenty, 1)
Georgia Ponsonby (22, Matatū, Canterbury, 5)
Props
Tanya Kalounivale (23, Chiefs, Waikato, 2)
Pip Love (32, Matatū, Canterbury, 17)
Krystal Murray (29, Blues, Northland, 3)
Amy Rule (22, Matatū, Canterbury, 5)
Awhina Tangen Wainohu (24, Chiefs, Waikato, new cap)
Santo Taumata (19, Chiefs, Bay of Plenty, new cap)
Locks
Chelsea Bremner (27, Matatū, Canterbury, 3)
Joanah Ngan Woo (26, Hurricanes, Wellington, 8)
Maiakawanakaulani Roos (21, Blues, Auckland, 6)
Back Row
Alana Bremner (25, Matatū, Canterbury, 6)
Tafito Lafaele (21, Blues, Auckland, 2)
Charmaine McMenamin (32, Blues, Auckland, 25)
Kaipo Olsen-Baker (19, Hurricanes, Manawatu, 2)
Kendra Reynolds (29, Matatū, Bay of Plenty, 3)
Kennedy Simon (25, Chiefs, Waikato, 8)
Scrum-halves
Ariana Bayler (25, Chiefs, Waikato, 4)
Kendra Cocksedge (34, Matatū, Canterbury, 60)
Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu (30, Chiefs, Counties Manukau, 8)
Midfield
Sylvia Brunt (18, Auckland, 2)
Ruahei Demant (27, Blues, Auckland, 18)
Amy du Plessis (23, Matatū, Canterbury, 2)
Theresa Fitzpatrick (27, Blues, Auckland, 11)
Chelsea Semple (29, Chiefs, Waikato, 28)
Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali (30, Otago, 19)
Hazel Tubic (31, Chiefs, Counties Manukau, 14)
Back Three
Renee Holmes (22, Matatū, Waikato, 3)
Ayesha Leti-I’iga (23, Hurricanes, Wellington, 15)
Tyla Nathan-Wong (28, Blues, Northland, new cap)
Grace Steinmetz (24, Matatū, Canterbury, 0)
Ruby Tui (30, Chiefs, Counties Manukau, 2)
Absent injured: Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, Grace Brooker, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson
