Wallaroos vs Black Ferns: Kiwis are a class above, Aussies have improved

Playing on Australian soil, the Black Ferns put on an attacking clinic as they recorded a stunning 62-nil win over the Wallaroos at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium. That win saw the Kiwis back up their 67-19 win over the same foe in Auckland about two months ago.

Winger Katelyn Vahaakolo stole the show with four tries, and a fifth effort was disallowed just before the half-time break, as the visitors took control of the Test. The Wallaroos struggled to throw a bunch as the Black Ferns’ confidence seemed to grow.

Here are some takeaways.

Black Ferns are a class above

50 days ago, the Black Ferns ran riot as they piled on the points at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium. The Wallaroos were almost helpless at times as they failed to find answers to the many questions their rivals threw at them on both sides of the ball.

New Zealand’s relentless home soil victory was the latest in a long-running trend of dominant wins over their neighbours from across the ditch. They beat Australia 50-nil in Redcliffe last September and repeated those heroics in Hamilton later that year.

For the Black Ferns to then do what they did a couple of months ago wasn’t a surprise. They were a team hurting after a shock loss to Canada in Christchurch the week before, but the women in black made amends before the half-time break against Aussie.

While the Wallaroos showed signs of improvement at Ballymore, it was the same old story for the Black Ferns. New Zealand ran riot with a 29-point blitz during the first half which practically secured the win with 40 still to play.

The New Zealanders were dominant at the set-piece for large periods, were able to get over the gain line with hard carries, and stood tall on the defensive side of the ball. They even looked like the Harlem Globetrotters with the freedom and skill in which they threw the ball around.

Winger Katelyn Vahaakolo scored two of the Black Ferns’ four first-half tries as they took a commanding lead into the interval. Playing on enemy soil, the Kiwis set themselves up for what ended up being another headline-grabbing win over the Aussies.

Wallaroos show signs of improvement

It’s an old cliché to say that sport is a results-driven business. When a team is winning then fans often have no reason but to be happy about how everything is going, but it tends to be the opposite when any side begins to struggle.

Australia have only won one of their five Tests this year which doesn’t seem like a positive, and of course, it isn’t. The Wallaroos playing group and coaching staff would love to win every match but this is a team building towards a brighter tomorrow.

New Zealand are among the best teams in the world and Australia just aren’t at that level yet. But if you compare the heavy defeat in Auckland to their performance in Brisbane then it’s pretty clear the Wallaroos are improving.

Desiree Miller scored four tries in a big win over Fijiana at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium last weekend and the Wallaroos carried that renewed sense of confidence into this match. This Test got away from them on the scoreboard but it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

The Wallaroos forced their rivals to make some uncharacteristic errors on the back of their defensive work and they also showed signs of promise on the offensive side of the sport. Individually, the likes of Ash Marsters and Piper Duck stepped up as well.

Australia got off to a bit of a slow start but recovered in practically all areas of the park, including the set-piece. They were quite unlucky not to score through prop Eva Karpani midway through the first term.

Instead, the Wallaroos’ Achilles heel was uncharacteristic errors and mistakes which not only disrupted their momentum but gave plenty of possession to the Black Ferns. New Zealand were good enough to make the most of those mistakes.

If it wasn’t for two Katelyn Vahaakolo tries in the first term, this game could’ve been very different.

Black Ferns forwards set the tone for another masterful performance

New Zealand’s backline was rewarded for some quick hands late in the first half as winger Katelyn Vahaakolo scored two quick tries. It could be easy to praise the backs as the main drivers behind this win but let’s hear it for the forwards.

The Black Ferns’ strength and accuracy at the scrum, combined with their accuracy at the lineout, laid the foundations for what ended up being a commanding win on the road. Their lineout was especially important, with the rolling maul making a significant difference.

Georgia Ponsonby and Layla Sae were the first two players to get on the scoresheet other than goal-kicker Renee Holmes, and the collective impact of the eight forwards also contributed to the other tries in the Test.

With front foot ball and the confidence to match, the Black Ferns forwards started to throw the ball around and seemed to have a lot of fun doing that. Lock Alana Bremner was among those who weren’t afraid to throw the 50-50 pass which often came off.

In the takeaways piece from the first Laurie O’Reilly Cup Test of the year, this writer referenced the old sporting cliché of ‘Test matches are won up front.’ Once again, the Black Ferns have proven that to be the case.

The new 10-12 combo worked wonders for New Zealand

Hannah King was very humble a day before starting a Black Ferns Test for the first time. Before taking on Australia at North Harbour Stadium, the flyhalf told RugbyPass she “didn’t think” the opportunity to wear the iconic jersey would come so soon.

The young Cantabrian travelled down a unique path in order to debut at international level, with King making the move north to join the Hurricanes in Wellington. King went on to debut for the Black Ferns off the pine against the USA earlier this year.

But after being handed a maiden Test start in the No. 10 jumper against the Wallaroos, King didn’t look back. Sure, there were some nervy moments, but the youngster did enough to impress selectors moving forward.

King retained her spot in the starting side for the reverse fixture at Ballymore, with world-class playmaker Ruahei Demant lining up at inside centre instead. Being handed a start ahead of Demant is a statement in itself.

The new-look 10-12 combination worked wonders, though, and very well should and could be a familiar pairing moving forward. Demant linked up with King for an impressive break up the field early on and that was just the beginning.

King seemed a lot more comfortable in her second start, and some of that may come down to the fact that Demant was just outside her. As the Black Ferns prepare to defending their Rugby World Cup crown in England next year, this is a combination they should continue with.

Backrow duo a shining light on a tough afternoon for Wallaroos

28-Test Wallaroo Ashley Marsters was a headline-grabbing inclusion for the Wallaroos this week. The openside flanker was back in the mix for the first time in a while after suffering an ankle injury during the defeat to the USA earlier this year.

Experience is something that can’t be replicated – you either have it or you don’t – and Marsters showed why that’s so important. Even when the Wallaroos had their backs up against the ropes, the backrower stepped up.

Marsters had two really impressive carries in the 26^th minute which led to a penalty going Australia’s way. They kicked for the corner and thought they had scored their first, with Marsters registering what looked to be a try assist by sending Eva Karpani over.

But the try was ruled out by the TMO.

Piper Duck was also impressive. The do of Marsters and Duck were among those who stood out for the women in gold as they put out an improved performance towards the end of the first term.