Rugby: Black Ferns take stock after undefeated Pacific Four series as road to World Cup shortens

The Black Ferns were unbeaten in the Pacific Four series. Photo / Getty Images

A vital few months await the Black Ferns, as the road to the Rugby World Cup gets shorter.

In their return to the pitch since being blanked 4-0 on their northern tour last year in tests against England and France, the Black Ferns have shown plenty of improvement, with signs of more to come before the World Cup in October.

In the recent Pacific Four test series against Australia, Canada and the USA, the Black Ferns lifted the trophy with a 3-0 record, conceding just one try and finishing with an average winning margin of 28 points.

While France and England remain tipped as the ones to beat, Black Ferns defence coach Wes Clarke said there is a lot still to be unlocked within the Black Ferns.

"As the defence coach I'm somewhat happy - only one try conceded in three games – but there's still things to tidy up. We're not even close to our potential," Clarke said after their 50-6 win over the USA at the weekend.

"The cool thing for me was [Lucy Anderson] came off and said it was so easy out there in terms of communication and decision making; everyone was on the same page and it just felt calm and easy. That's the complete opposite of how trainings have been. Smithy [Wayne Smith] has been putting them under the pump massively at training and obviously it's coming to fruition now."

Smith took over at the helm in late April, replacing Glenn Moore who stepped away from his role as head coach soon after a damning review into the team's culture was released.
With Smith working alongside Clarke and Whitney Hansen to guide the team, with Sir Graham Henry on hand in a support role and Allan Bunting joining as the team's manager of culture and leadership, team captain Ruahei Demant said there had been a noticeable change within the group over the past few months.

"I think you can see in the performance, there's been a massive shift in the girls' mindset, and desire and enthusiasm when it comes to playing, attacking, defending," Demant said

"We talk about defending like we're defending our family, and I think that theme has really stuck with the girls. It's something we all connect to and you see it when we play; we defend each other like we're whanau, and when we attack, we show that we're not scared.

"There's no fear of making mistakes, and from where we've been in the past to where we are now, that shift in mindset is probably the biggest thing."

While their performances during the Pacific Four series at times left plenty to be desired, their dismantling of the USA in dismal conditions gave the team plenty of promise to take into further preparations for the World Cup.

Demant said while the margins on the scoreboard were wide, that didn't feel like the case on the pitch and, given the spectacle of a World Cup, she expected things to step up again in October.

"Not everyone gets an opportunity to play in a World Cup, so I think there's a lot more to these teams than what the fans and the crowd have seen."

The Black Ferns' game time before the World Cup is limited. They have a televised trial next month, before two tests against Australia in August. The return of the Farah Palmer Cup on July 16 will also give players the opportunity to get game time and also put their hand up for selection in the final squad for the World Cup – a decision that is becoming increasing tougher for Smith and his team.