Renee Wickliffe scored a stunning try for the Black Ferns against Scotland. Photo / photosport.nz
Renee Wickliffe scored a stunning try for the Black Ferns against Scotland. Photo / photosport.nz
OPINION:
Phil Gifford runs through his five talking points from a big weekend of rugby.
Joy to the world
Bravo to the Black Ferns for bringing a level of excitement and fan engagement to rugby in Whangārei that hasn't been seen since three brothers from up the road inMaromaku - Sid, Ken and Brian Going - set the game alight half a century ago with an endless trick bag of dazzling moves.
The moment in the Ferns' 57-0 demolition of Scotland that summed up the exhilarating talent the New Zealand team bring to the game came with the first Renee Wickliffe try in the 34th minute.
On Scotland's 10-metre line, Ferns first-five Hazel Tubic threw a long, high pass to Wickliffe, who dummied to her right and swerved to her left. Two tacklers were thrown off the scent. Wickliffe accelerated and, now inside the 22, with one defender in front of her, one close behind and one to her right, sidestepped to the right and then cut left, leaving nothing but air for the Scottish players, as she ran untouched to the line.
Rugby as a series of rolling mauls can get pretty joyless. For the 16,571 people at the ground in Whangārei, and those of us watching on screens, the Ferns are a joyful reminder of how good it can be when played with a positive mindset.
It starts up front
It was great to see the daring ball-running of the Ferns, but just as comforting to Kiwi fans will be the way, after a wayward effort in the first scrum, the New Zealand forward pack settled into a potent scrummaging performance.
Their scrum has occasionally looked a little fragile and was an area mercilessly exploited by England and France on the northern tour last year, but if the improvement continues they could hope at least for parity if they face either side in the knockout stages.
A noticeable feature of the way the Ferns play is how flat their lines on attack are. It takes a lot of belief in personal skills, and the skills of your teammates, to get the ball without the buffer of a lot of clear space in front of you.
But by not standing deep when you have the ball, opposing defensive lines don't have the luxury of time to organise. And if the tackling line is broken, or stretched, even good defence can be reduced to chaotic scrambling.
Wellington enjoy the spoils of victory after beating Canterbury. Photo / photosport.nz
The wait was worth it
A round of applause for Wellington whose 26-18 victory over Canterbury in the NPC final in Christchurch was not only their first national title since 2000, but also deserved.
A coaching mantra Steve Hansen took from his father Des, that "your attacking options are determined by your opponents", has rarely been better demonstrated. Ahead by four points at halftime, the Wellington players showed backbones of steel as Canterbury rolled out mean machines like Luke Romano and Tamaiti Williams to grind the ball upfield.
A lesser team would have missed tackles, or strayed offside. It says everything you need to know about the spirit in the Wellington ranks that again and again so little ground was made by Canterbury that there was often no real alternative for first-five Fergus Burke other than a hopeful high kick. The attacking options had been reduced to zero.
Man of the match
Wellington's captain Du'Plessis Kirifi did more than enough for his side in the way he spearheaded the defence with fierce tackling, and engaged referee Brendon Pickerill in what appeared to be the sort of collegial conversations Sean Fitzpatrick and Richie McCaw perfected as All Blacks leaders.
But the crowning glory, which in hindsight proved to be a key moment in the game, came in the 16th minute when Kirifi burst past two tacklers just outside his own 22, sprinted 50 metres and then sent Ruben Love off for a try as coolly as a veteran international centre.
With winning the Ranfurly Shield, and now the NPC, 2022 has been a year all future Wellington teams will measure themselves against.
