What Could a 2023 Black Ferns Squad Look Like?
After Wayne Smith retired from coaching with a 100% win rate in charge of the Black Ferns, Allan Bunting was named as the new Director of Rugby, while Whitney Hansen will remain on board as an Assistant Coach. Bunting was a member of Smith's World Cup-winning management group, while his previous accomplishments as a Head Coach include the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki title from 2022 and the 2021 Olympic Gold medal with the Black Ferns' 7s side.
We've now established that the right man for the job is in charge, but which players will Bunting select to do the job alongside himself? The next World Cup will be hosted by England in 2025 and with the retirements of Kendra Cocksedge & Renee Wickliffe, as well as the return of the "7s sisters" to their plane-hopping schedule, there will be some spots up for grabs.
Assuming Bunting picks a 32-player squad; as Smith did for the Rugby World Cup and said players are available for selection, this is the team we could see:
Hookers:
Georgia Ponsonby stands at the touch line for the first lineout of the 2022 Rugby World Cup Final at Eden Park. Photo: Max Sharp.
Luka Connor
Age: 26 years old
Test Caps: 14 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Georgia Ponsonby
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: 13 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate
Age: 31 years old
Test Caps: 32 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Connor is the form player, leading the charge for Most Valuable Player in Super Rugby Aupiki, while Ponsonby is a pretty safe bet for her experience as a starting hooker for a World Cup final, despite being just 23 years old. Both of these players have proven themselves trustworthy for throwing in the lineout and driving a maul, while as former loose forewards, they can win turnovers.
Connor and Ponsonby will without exception make the team, but the third option is more of a question mark. There are plenty of younger players at hooker in the competition, but rushing a player into test rugby too quickly can indeed backfire, so Bunting may turn his head to more experienced players until fellow youngsters put their hands up to compete with Ponsonby and Connor.
This would leave us in a straight shoot-out between Natalie Delamere, a World Cup winner in 2022 and Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, a World Cup winner in 2017. Delamere has been stuck on the bench in Super Rugby Aupiki and is averaging 30.7 minutes a game this season; having been forced into this position by playing for the same club as Ponsonby. At 26 years old, Delamere would be a safer bet to make it to a World Cup in 2025, but we know third-choice players aren't safe.
As a Māori teacher and haka leader with a lot of mana, a re-call for Ngata-Aerengamate (first-choice for the Hurricanes Poua) would add a lot to the team's culture off-field and at 31 years old, she is still young enough to make it to 2025 should she stay injury-free. Bunting's values of good team culture, may see him pick Ngata-Aerengamate.
Props:
Krystal Murray
Age: 29 years old
Test Caps: 9 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Pip Love
Age: 32 years old
Test Caps: 25 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Awhina Tangen-Wainohu
Age: 25 years old
Test Caps: 4 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Tanya Kalounivale
Age: 24 years old
Test Caps: 5 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Amy Rule
Age: 22 years old
Test Caps: 13 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Santo Taumata
Age: 20 years old
Test Caps: 7 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
With Toka Natua's impending move to play for Clermont in France, Leilani Perese taking parental leave from the Hurricanes Poua and a lack of game time for Angel Mulu at the Chiefs Manawa, don't expect to see radical change at prop. Lucy Anderson and Aleisha-Pearl Nelson are not currently contracted to a Super Rugby side either,
Keeping the props the same would make sense for combination-building; with a very clear-cut structure for the team as to who sits where in the current pecking order. As form is important early in a World Cup cycle, look for Murray and Kalounivale start at prop for their dynamic carrying, with pair one of Love and Rule, then pair two of Tangen-Wainohu and Taumata making up the propping stocks with their club-level cohesion in the scrum.
Aside from Love, who will be 35 in 2025, all of these players are without question, young enough to compete at a second-straight World Cup as a unit with each other. Love has however, remained in strong form after early career injuries, so we can definitely back her for the challenge of a third World Cup.
Locks:
Chelsea Bremner
Age: 27 years old
Test Caps: 12 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Joanah Ngan-Woo
Age: 27 years old
Test Caps: 17 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Maiakawanakaulani Roos
Age: 21 years old
Test Caps: 14 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
As Alana Bremner has covered lock for Matatū in the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season, Bunting won't feel the pressure to stack the team too heavily with locking cover. After all, the three World Cup-winning locks are all still in ridiculously good form. Roos has taken on added responsibility at the Blues, especially with former Black Ferns captain, Eloise Blackwell, confined to the bench.
Maia Roos of the Blues, pictured with ball-in-hand in the Rugby World Cup final. Photo: Max Sharp.
Ngan-Woo is very much the premiere lock of the Hurricanes Poua, while Tafito Lafaele of the Blues, as a lock-loose forward cover, may be the next option, should Alana Bremner get injured. Chelsea Bremner on the other hand, has been galvanised form-wise with her shift to the Chiefs Manawa.
Should injuries strike, Charmaine Smith (27 tests) and Kelsie Thwaites (2 tests) could perhaps earn test-level re-calls for their dynamic carrying, athletic lineout takes and high tackle accuracy; Smith will particularly spark interest due to her ability to cover blindside. Or, we could even see 20-year-old Ma'ama Vaipulu of the Blues force her way in with phenomenal form.
Loose Forwards:
Alana Bremner
Age: 26 years old
Test Caps: 13 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Lucy Jenkins
Age: 22 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Kennedy Simon (Co-Captain)
Age: 26 years old
Test Caps: 13 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Rhiarna Ferris
Age: 30 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Liana Mikaele-Tu'u
Age: 21 years old
Test Caps: 11 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Kaipo Olsen-Baker
Age: 20 years old
Test Caps: 2 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Alana Bremner will start at 6 to balance the lineout and Liana Mikaele-Tu'u will return to the number 8 jersey as a straight replica of her hulking Highlanders brother, Marino. Those two are pretty obvious picks. As only an insane person would leave Kennedy Simon out of a starting lineup, it makes sense to slot her in at 7, where she played off the bench in 2022's World Cup after recovering from injury.
As a country blessed to have so much depth in the loose forwards, form will likely be huge for Bunting's selection criteria. As a coach with a reputation for liking expansive rugby, expect some powerful ball-carriers to get a look-in; though Bunting will of course need to consider the breakdown and lineout, as all of the locks are also effective carriers.
Lucy Jenkins' low centre of gravity thoroughly deserves a go at test level, while her time at 6 in 2023 has seen her far more determined to run with ball-in-hand, while she currently has a higher tackle accuracy rate than her teammate, Kendra Reynolds, with a 93% ratio. After returning from an injury that saw her miss the World Cup, a re-call for Kaipo Olsen-Baker is a safe bet too. This is thanks to her 168 metres run, high turnover count and just one missed tackle in the competition.
Shortly after being a guest on The Black Jersey, Kaipo Olsen-Baker starred on her test debut, which was shared with close friend, Kelsey Teneti.
Rhiarna Ferris could possibly pack down at 7 should Simon succumb to injury, as she currently leads the tackle count of Super Rugby Aupiki, with 46. The 30-year-old late bloomer is also highly effective with ball-in-hand and with Jenkins being one of the shorter loose forwards in the league, the 1.77m Ferris, would be perfect off the bench, to ensure a functioning lineout.
Other loose forwards who will be considered for selection are World Cup winners Kendra Reynolds (9 test caps) and Charmaine McMenamin (31 test caps), as well as Layla Sae (uncapped) and Marcelle Parkes (5 test caps)
Halfbacks:
Ariana Bayler
Age: 26 years old
Test Caps: 7 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Iritana Hohaia
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu
Age: 30 years old
Test Caps: 12 tests
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
Now this is where things get interesting. I'm not dismissing Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu, but with three years to build, the coaches don't need to fear the loss of a now-retired Kendra Cocksedge anymore, so no longer a like-for-like replacement in the form of Marino-Tauhinu. The number 9 jersey is therefore Ariana Bayler's jersey to take. Bayler was trusted to sit on the bench and run the cutter in the knockout stages, if Cocksedge was to go down and is seen by most as the future of the jersey, so expect the growth into the key decision-maker, to happen.
Marino-Tauhinu isn't done yet though, expect to see her remain in the team as a backup option, thanks to some stellar form, which includes an 88% tackle rate, 5 offloads and 209 metres in 3 Super Rugby Aupiki games. Similarly to Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, Marino-Tauhinu will add a lot to the culture of the team, especially in the spiritual connection to our whenua.
The third-choice could go to several different options. Di Hiini is starting to come into her own, but is 30, while Mel Puckett and Georgia Cormick are making a difference for their teams off the bench. As players who are perhaps a little raw, they may miss out to Iritana Hohaia. Hohaia has been in the Black Ferns environment before but is yet to debut at test level due to injury. With Kendra Cocksedge as a fan however, her time may finally be arriving.
First-Fives:
Ruahei Demant (Co-Captain)
Age: 27 years old
Test Caps: 26 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Black Ferns captain, Ruahei Demant (centre), pictured on attack in the 2022 Rugby World Cup final. Photo: Max Sharp.
Rosie Kelly
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Having been given little time to prepare for a World Cup, Wayne Smith, knowing that World Cups are won on experience, kept a highly strict duopoly on the 10 jersey, with Ruahei Demant as captain and Hazel Tubic, first-capped in 2011, the sole player trusted to back up the captain. Demant will clearly be retained in this new Black Ferns era if fit, but this duopoly looks to be over.
Rosie Kelly, will be near-certain to force her way in through lighting Super Rugby Aupiki up on fire with her form and versatility, given Demant will usually play the full 80. Having converted from 9, the 23-year-old has beaten Tubic for metres run, line breaks and has a far superior tackle accuracy, with her 78% rate (21/27) dwarfing Tubic's 33% rate (3/9).
While 2022 Black Ferns triallist, Carys Dallinger, kept Demant honest in a Blues vs Hurricanes clash, she is less of a running 10 and has former Black Fern Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali assisting her decision-making from 12. Kelly also leads Dallinger for metres run, try assists and line breaks, though Dallinger's tackle rate of 65% (15/23) is better than Tubic's.
Midfielders:
Grace Brooker
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: 3 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Sylvia Brunt
Age: 19 years old
Test Caps: 7 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Amy du Plessis
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: 7 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Patricia Malipeo
Age: 20 years old
Test Caps: 3 tests
Super Rugby Club: Blues
With Theresa Fitzpatrick, Stacey Fluhler and Kelsey Teneti all back on the 7s circuit and Chelsea Semple unavailable for selection due to maternity leave, picking the midfield will be a simple exercise for the coaches, who will be able to swap Fitzpatrick and Fluhler straight out, with test re-calls for Brooker and Maliepo.
29-test veteran, Chelsea Semple, intends to return to rugby after the birth of her first child, as stated on The Black Jersey podcast.
The Blues combination of Maliepo, who has moved from 10 to 12 and Brunt, is a young and exciting duo with a lot of power, while Maliepo's kicking game will assume a multi-dimensional attack structure, as she has done in Super Rugby. This will also mean selectors don't need to pick a third first-five. Brunt, the youngest 2022 World Cup winner, will be looking to progress into a starting role and in combination with Maliepo, this could be a go for sure.
Matatū's more experienced midfield combination of Grace Brooker and Amy du Plessis however, have possibly got more of an inside running, as players who will be in their prime years for 2025's Rugby World Cup. Though Brooker has returned after 18 months of injury, her 86% (38/44) tackle ratio trumps Maliepo's, of 67% rate (18/27). To counter such an argument though, a Blues midfield of Maliepo and Brunt, would possibly benefit Ruahei Demant more. Either way, both combinations give the selectors a nice headache to have.
Outside Backs:
Renee Holmes
Age: 23 years old
Test Caps: 10 tests
Super Rugby Club: Matatū
Ayesha Leti-I'iga
Age: 24 years old
Test Caps: 21 tests
Super Rugby Club: Hurricanes Poua
Jaymie Kolose
Age: 21 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Katelyn Vaha'akolo
Age: 22 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Blues
Georgia Daals
Age: 29 years old
Test Caps: uncapped
Super Rugby Club: Chiefs Manawa
As the most talked-about facet of the game in 2022, outside backs for this Black Ferns team will almost certainly be looked to for marketing and with Renee Holmes and Ayesha Leti-I'iga still young players, you can bet they'll be straight into the starting lineup and scoring a lot of tries. With 13 tries from 21 tests at just 24, Leti-I'iga will look to beat defenders left, right and centre on the wing, while Holmes will keep the scoreboard ticking over off the tee.
Renee Holmes and Ayesha Leti-I'iga bring the Eden Park crowd to their feet, as Holmes crosses the tryline. Photo: Max Sharp.
With Ruby Tui's availability status unknown, there may perhaps be room for late bloomer Georgia Daals, who has racked up five tries in 3 games to be the joint-leading try scorer in Super Rugby Aupiki, to go with 289 metres (third-most), 18 defenders beaten (first), 6 clean breaks (joint-second-most) and 2 offloads from 21 carries.
The Blues' Jaymie Kolose and Katelyn Vaha'akolo have both lit the tournament up too, seemingly with the ability to score tries from anywhere. Kolose has scored four tries, while Vaha'akolo has scored two. Having taken their opportunities strongly, test debuts look inevitable for the youngsters.