The Black Ferns will take plenty away from their win over Ireland.
After two comfortable victories over Spain and Japan to open their account for the Rugby World Cup, the clash with Ireland was a test in the truest sense of the word.
For long periods in both halves, the Black Ferns were camped on their own tryline as the Irish strung phases together looking for a way through. On attack, they were patient in breaking down the Green Wave and they took their opportunities well.
So, looking at the final 40-0 scoreline, co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu couldn’t pick which side of that equation stood out more.
“The 40 stands out to me because we’ve been working on playing our DNA, which is going through, going over, going around. It’s being fast, physical, clinical, and we’ve been able to do that today. There’s a few things that we would like to tidy up, but that’s a great start for us,” she said.
“The 0, that’s probably something I’m most proud of because I’m a D leader and we’ve put a lot of work into that. Our D lead, Jacko [Steve Jackson], has put a lot of thought and care into our system, and it just goes to show that when you’re really connected and you care for each other, you can go the whole way.”
The Black Ferns had marginally less possession and a lot of the game was played in their territory, but Ireland were not able to breach their line.
Tukuafu, who was moved to a bench role after a successful comeback from injury to start against Japan, was among the stars for the Black Ferns last in the contest with her work defensively, making tackles and getting over the ball at the breakdown.
But it was a whole team effort, with five players making double-digit tackles, led by Maiakawanakaulani Roos, who made 19 without a miss. According to ESPN stats, the Black Ferns made 91% of their attempted tackles.
On attack, they linked up well and made the most of the opportunities they were creating. Young gun Braxton Sorensen-McGee ran for more than 100m and scored another hat-trick, Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt ran with intent with her team-high 12 carries, Renee Holmes injected herself into the line well, while their kicking game was well executed.
“What I learned about our team is that we can go all day,” Tukuafu said.
“Whatever teams throw at us, we’ll give it even more. We’ll be fast to get back into position to have another go or make another tackle, drive them back some more, and, at the end of it, turn the ball over hopefully.”
With the win, the Black Ferns finished at the top of the group. That saw them book a quarter-final against South Africa, after the latter were beaten by France in their final outing of pool play.
Ireland had beaten the Black Ferns in 2024 and held a winning record over the New Zealand side with two wins from three tests.
Tukuafu admitted that 2024 result probably lingered for a few players in the Black Ferns squad, but Monday morning’s performance showed what they were capable of.
“As much as we didn’t focus on that, it was in the back of the girls’ that played minds,” she said of last year’s loss.
“So, that was a nice statement, but it does show that we were just simply playing to our potential. We’ve got strike weapons all over the field and, when we kicked it, there was just that desperation to go and get it back and score some tries.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.