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Black Ferns make sweeping changes for Wales
By Online Editors
Black Ferns coaches have made a raft of changes ahead of their second Rugby World Cup fixture against Wales at Waitakere Stadium this Sunday.
With wholesale changes to the starting line-up, five further players will make their Rugby World Cup debut on Sunday.
A new look front row sees Awhina Tangen-Wainohu with her first start in the black jersey and Tanya Kalounivale returning from injury, while hooker Georgia Ponsonby is promoted after playing from the bench last weekend.
Alana Bremner also makes a return from injury and will be joined by Kendra Reynolds and Charmaine McMenamin to make up the starting loose forward trio.
Auckland midfielders Theresa Fitzpatrick and Sylvia Brunt combine at second five-eighths and centre, while Renee Wickliffe gets a start on the wing in her fourth World Cup campaign, with Ruby Tui donning the fullback jersey for the first time.
Krystal Murray will make her Rugby World Cup debut off the bench.
Black Ferns Director of Rugby Wayne Smith said while the squad is still carrying some injuries, they are happy with the strength of the team.
“We are balancing a desire to keep as much continuity as possible but we want to give players the opportunity to put their form out on the park. So we are putting in a lot of work around who plays when,” said Smith.
After a monumental opening weekend, Smith said their is a focus this week on embracing the occasion.
“We need to use this whole occasion to make us better. We’re in our own country, marching behind our flag, it is the greatest time in our life. We need to use that to our advantage.
After the opening round of Rugby World Cup matches, the Black Ferns sit atop Pool A with five competition points, followed by Wales who claimed a late victory over Scotland last Sunday.
The Black Ferns have previously met Wales on four occasions, most recently a 44-12 win at the 2017 Rugby World Cup. The sides did play in a friendly last October before the Black Ferns Northern Tour in England.
Black Ferns team to play Wales:
1. Awhina Tangen-Wainohu (3)
2. Georgia Ponsonby (8)
3. Tanya Kalounivale (4)
4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos (9)
5. Chelsea Bremner (7)
6. Alana Bremner (8)
7. Kendra Reynolds (7)
8. Charmaine McMenamin (29)
9. Ariana Bayler (5)
10 .Ruahei Demant (22) – captain
11. Portia Woodman (21)
12. Theresa Fitzpatrick (13)
13. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai’i (Sylvia) Brunt (5)
14. Renee Wickliffe (45)
15. Ruby Tui (6)
Reserves
16. Luka Connor (10)
17. Krystal Murray (4)
18. Santo Taumata (3)
19. Joanah Ngan-Woo (12)
20. Sarah Hirini (12)
21. Kendra Cocksedge (63)
22. Amy du Plessis (5)
23. Hazel Tubic (18)
Unavailable due to injury: Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Kennedy Simon
Press Release/NZR
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Latest Comments
Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".
But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.
The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.
Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?
Go to commentsI think they just need to judge better when it's on and when it's not. If there is a disjointed chase and WJ has a forward in front of him and some space to work with then he should have a crack every time.
If the chase is perfect and the defence is numbered up then it needs to get sent back. From memory they have not really developed a plan for what to do if they take the ball on/in the 22 with a good chase and no counter attacking opportunity.
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