WXV 1 tournament: Black Ferns wary of England variations in first meeting since Rugby World Cup final

Black Ferns defence coach Tony Christie is approaching this weekend’s clash against England with an element of caution.

The two sides will meet at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday for the first time since the Black Ferns beat England and won the World Cup in Auckland last year, with the winner likely taking out the inaugural WXV 1 tournament.

Both sides have shown they have plenty in their arsenals in the first two weekends of the tournament, with England flashing more than simply possessing a dominant rolling maul at the lineout – although that has still been a key method of points for the side.

“They have shown some good variation,” Christie said of England, “But you’ve also got to be careful because sometimes they can be setting you up to give you one picture from the week before and then show you a completely different one.

“We need to be ready for whatever is thrown at us.”

Despite suffering a one-point loss to France in the opening round of the competition, the Black Ferns go into this weekend with a good chance to lift the tournament title after a 70-7 win over Wales.

The win over Wales was a step in the right direction for the Black Ferns, who admitted there were some issues around their game plan for the French game. One of the main areas of improvement was in their kicking for territory, which they implemented to great effect against Wales.

However, turning the ball over remained an issue for the Black Ferns. While their discipline has been impressive, they have conceded 35 turnovers across the last two games. Turnovers are to be expected in a brand of rugby that encourages players to move the ball freely, however Christie would not be drawn on questions around how that might change against the No. 1-ranked team in the world.

“We’ve got some plans against England. I won’t say too much about that, but the key is always getting that balance right between kicking and running it, and playing in the right areas but also playing to the pictures we’re seeing and previewing,” he said.

“We know they’ll be coming out for redemption. You only had to see the look on their faces after the World Cup final last year to know how much it hurt for them, so I’m sure they’ve been planning for this one for a long time.”

When the sides run out onto the turf at Mt Smart on Saturday night, they will know what they need to do to win the tournament, with Australia meeting Wales on Friday night and France taking on Canada earlier on Saturday – also at Mt Smart.

Heading into the weekend, England, New Zealand, France, Australia and Canada are all still mathematical chances of hoisting the title, though the most likely outcome would see the winner of the Black Ferns test against England crowned the champions.

“We’ve done the calculations,” Christie admitted. “It’s well and truly on our mind; we’re here to win the game and the tournament.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.