![]() ![]() Which is unfortunate, when the tournament should be about forging and fostering relationships in the community, showing kids who may not know otherwise that they too can one day play rugby for their country, providing they're not painfully unco-ordinated, in which case they can one day write about it instead. Plenty of reasons have been offered as to why the tournament is being held in Auckland and Whangārei, but you don't need five of them: it's about cost. ![]() The hosts will want all those fine folk - minus that last group - to get behind them in a team of five million, even if only the northernmost couple mill can actually watch matches live. Along with supporters of the hardcore variety the fickle but ill-important fairweather fans the people who get annoyed by incessant coverage of what they hilariously call 'sportsball' and those who simply won't watch women's sport due to their tiny little brains. The Black Ferns will call on those casuals in their quest to triumph. But an even more appealing proposition? They go up swinging, which is a thing that makes sense. The Ferns undoubtedly possess the players to enact that style, especially after the reintegration of the sevens stars into the side, exemplified with an exclamation point by Portia Woodman's seven-try haul against Japan at Eden Park.Īt the very least, the hosts will go down swinging, making them an appealing watch for the casual fan. ![]() In other words, The Professor has been blessing New Zealand rugby with yet another lesson, one that may soon rank among his best. Wayne Smith hasn't worked immediate miracles with the Ferns - and nor was that the promise when he was back lured back out of Waihī Beach.īut the coaching guru has in his short tenure identified a style of play to disarm the big guns of the north, installed that style while introducing rookies and invigorating veterans, and instilled within the Black Ferns some hope of winning this home World Cup. In New Zealand, only a few coaches boast the necessary nous, and fortunately for the Black Ferns, they snagged one with enough nous to earn a nickname and everything. Who would assume a role so thankless? More importantly, who could make it a success? Take a team coming off four humbling defeats, one mired with cultural concerns that led to the resignation of the previous coach, and in less than six months turn them into a side capable of winning a World Cup. Black Ferns Luka Connor and Hazel Tubic speak to the media ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup. ![]()
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