Ruby Tui of New Zealand England Red Roses v New Zealand Black Ferns Women’s International Rugby Union match at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, England on Saturday 14 September 2024.. Photo credit: Matthew Impey / www.photosport.nz Photo: Matthew Impey / www.photosport.nz
The Black Ferns coaches are demanding the players take responsibility for some individual mistakes as the team stares down the barrel of some unwanted history.
The World Champions take on France in their third and last WXV test this weekend in Vancouver where they'll look to end a three match losing streak.
The Black Ferns are out of WXV title contention following losses to Ireland and England in their first two games of the tournament.
Also on the line for the Black Ferns is their world ranking. They have already dropped to third (behind No.1 England and No.2 Canada) and if beaten on Sunday they'll slip to fourth behind France, their lowest ever position.
Coach Allan Bunting has made five changes to the starting XV that lost to England earlier this week for the France match, the Black Ferns last of 2024, including dropping co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu to the bench with Layla Sae given a start in the loose forwards.
Bunting said they're determined to end their season on a high.
"There is a real desire for this week to finish off well," Bunting said.
"We know what we're capable of and the ladies know that. Through tough times you get some deep learnings (sic) and I've had some myself, but I'm very proud of this group and I do see light at the end of this tunnel."
Bunting said the possibility of falling to their lowest ever world ranking isn't something the Black Ferns have given much thought.
"All we can do is control what we can control. There are some things that we're proud of in the growth of our game but we can't just have a few things go well and let a few things slip, we've got to be accurate across the board to beat teams at this level."
The Black Ferns let in nine tries in the England loss, the most they've ever conceded in a match, with missed tackles and defensive misreads from the likes of wings Ruby Tui and Katelyn Vaha'akolo a source of frustration for the coaches.
Dejected New Zealand players after the game. England Red Roses v New Zealand Black Ferns, 2024. Photo credit: Matthew Impey / www.photosport.nz Photo: Matthew Impey / www.photosport.nz
Assistant coach Steve Jackson said they've worked hard this week to shore up their defence.
"There were some individual one on one tackle situations that we missed that were pretty easy tackles to be made. We were slow to set in terms of our set piece defence. Also getting around the corner and making sure we're in the right position and getting clarity on who were marking and bringing that line speed," Jackson said.
"England played pretty fast and upped the tempo with quick lineouts and managed to get around the corner pretty quick and we didn't adapt well."
Jackson though believes they can make the improvements needed before Sunday morning's (NZT) clash with France.
"Plenty of time. We've been honest and given honest feedback. We've got a short turnaround but the players will get into their work and make sure that they rectify the things they did wrong (against England).
"We've had a pretty robust review and now we've flushed it and we're looking forward to France and the threats they have and how we can nullify them. It's about going out there and putting out a performance the players can be proud of, because there is some hurt there, "Jackson said.
Despite the three consecutive defeats, hooker Georgia Ponsonby insists the northern tour has been invaluable for the Black Ferns and she still believes they can win next year's World Cup.
"The tour has been everything we've needed. We don't get a lot of games so it's been so good to get hard competition and see where we stand against these teams and without the tour and WXV tournament we wouldn't know that. It's good to have a line in the sand, cool, that's where we stand against England, we're not there yet, but the beauty of it is that we still have next year, we still have time to get to where we need to be come the World Cup."
Georgia Ponsonby of New Zealand. New Zealand Black Ferns v Australia Walloroos, Pacific Four Series and Laurie O’Reily Cup match at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday 25 May 2024. © Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
And she's confident the players are in the right mindset to win this weekend's clash with France.
"It's been tough to have three losses in a row. It's not what we came over here to achieve. But I'm really proud of the way the girls have handled it. It's tough and we wear it hard but the way that we've come together as a group and united and had a really tough review then flush it and move on. We're looking to finish on a high and I think we can definitely do that," Ponsonby said.
"The belief in the group is definitely still there. We created a lot of opportunities in that England game and we scored a lot of points which was promising and showed we have the goods there.
"We just need to be able to execute when things matter and stay calm under pressure and stick to our basics and make the last pass and get around the corner on defence and do all those little things that are small things but that do add up. That's going to allow us to get an 80 minute performance instead of a 30 minute performance and that's what we're striving for this weekend."
Jackson knows how important a win over France this weekend is for the Black Ferns.
"How critical is this game? It's massive for us. We don't want to go home without a win.
"This is really important for us leading into the Christmas break and building a little bit of momentum moving into next year. It's pretty critical for us."