Editorial: Black Ferns show sport at most dazzling

Black Ferns celebrate winning the RWC Sevens. Photo / Photosport

Editorial

Yesterday's magnificent back-to-back World Cup win by the All Blacks Sevens should not overshadow Sunday's magnificent back-to-back World Cup win by the Black Ferns.

The men were dominant but the women were sublime.

In a packed weekend of sport - Super Rugby, the Warriors, the Open Championship, the Tour de France and the German Grand Prix – the Black Ferns were an absolute highlight.

Even though Sunday afternoon's final against France in San Francisco ended with a lopsided 29-0 scoreline, it was no less entertaining. In the semi-final, the Black Ferns had to fight harder to overcome the USA, 26-21.

Both games were thrilling. Sevens rugby is a fast, athletic sport calling for a high degree of spatial awareness, and our women are astonishingly good at it. They are a joy to watch.

Like many women's teams, the Black Ferns Sevens and their 15-a-side counterparts, the world champion Black Ferns, have been low on support, sponsors and coverage. This is changing with the advent of professional contracts for both female squads.

Most players still have to supplement this income with full-time jobs, but the additional support structure, as well as better travel and accommodation go a long way.

Another step forward will be the historic Black Ferns double-header against the Wallaroos next month on the same night the All Blacks and Wallabies compete for the Bledisloe Cup.

This group of sportswomen are coming of age at a good time. Almost a decade on from the New Zealand Rugby Union's short-lived plan to drop the Women's Provincial Championship, now the Farah Palmer Cup in honour of the influential former captain, it can only get better.

It should get better. Women's sport is on the rise. In Australia last year, the AFL launched a women's competition that was hailed for its exciting debut season – and women now account for 30 per cent of Australian rules footballers in that country.

That prompted the NRL to launch an elite four-team women's transtasman rugby league competition, including a team associated with the New Zealand Warriors, during this year's finals series.

Top-level competition is a pathway to exciting, entertaining on-field performances and the attention that it brings.

As we reported on Saturday, rugby has come a long way since a review into the scandal created by the mistreatment of a stripper hired for a Chiefs end of year party in 2016 grew into a more all-encompassing look at attitudes of culture and inclusion in New Zealand, and support for the women's game.

We still have a long way to go. But if anything demonstrates how great women's sport can be given the chance, it was the World Cup title defence in Sunday morning. The Black Ferns Sevens were just about as good as it gets for sports entertainment.