Pride in tradition after Black Ferns reign in Spain

By JULIE ASH

Coach Darryl Suasua and the world-champion Black Ferns arrived home from Spain yesterday tired but ecstatic.

They had taken inspiration from All Blacks history, but were now proud of their own tradition.

The New Zealanders were unbeaten at the women's World Cup in Barcelona, trouncing Germany 117-0 and Australia 36-3 in section play before hammering France 30-0 in the semifinal and England 19-9 in the final.

Beating England was the sweetest revenge of all. They were the team who ended New Zealand's 10-year unbeaten run last year.

But what made New Zealand's result so outstanding was that not one team managed to score a try against them.

"We were pretty stoked with that," Suasua said. "It was important for us because we had spent a lot of time working on defence."

The team's tactics differed from the last World Cup, where they were known for their running backs. This time it was the forwards who did the tough work.

"I asked a group of people to look at the Black Ferns' past performances and pretend they were our opposition and work out a game plan against us," Suasua said.

"They all targeted our backs so we had to look at other options.

"In 1998 we had that element of surprise, but this time many teams knew about us and had done their homework, so we had to work harder."

Suasua said Barcelona was just as special as their first World Cup win in Amsterdam four years ago.

"The girls didn't want to let the jersey down. It is the power of the black jersey.

"It comes from the tradition of what the men had set.

"We took a long look at the All Blacks' history and what it meant, but the Black Ferns now have their own history."

For Suasua, and possibly many of the squad of 26, the World Cup meant the end of an era.

"I won't be seeking reappointment. I have had a wonderful time with the team since 1996, and just finishing off with the World Cup has been fantastic.

"There is a lot I'll miss. If I ever come across a group of players like this again I will be very lucky."