Black Ferns
Encyclopedia
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's national women's rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team.
The name
The name comes from the use of the colour blackBlack
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
and the silver fern as New Zealand sporting
Sport in New Zealand
Sport in New Zealand largely reflects its British colonial heritage. Some of the most popular sports in New Zealand, namely rugby, cricket and netball, are primarily played in Commonwealth of Nations countries...
symbols. For example, the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
is New Zealand's famous men's rugby team, The Black Caps are the men's cricket team and the White Ferns are the women's cricket team, while the Silver Ferns
Silver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
is the national women's netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
team.
History
The Black Ferns are the current Women's Rugby World CupWomen's Rugby World Cup
The Women's Rugby World Cup is the premier international competition in rugby union for women. The tournament is organised by the sport's governing body the International Rugby Board...
champions. They have won four consecutive World Cups, winning the first International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB)-sponsored Cup in 1998
1998 Women's Rugby World Cup
The 1998 Women's Rugby World Cup was the first world cup fully sanctioned by the International Rugby Board and the third world cup in history. The tournament took place in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands and was the first women's world cup held outside of the United Kingdom.The tournament saw a...
, the 2002 World Cup
2002 Women's Rugby World Cup
The 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup was the second World Cup fully sanctioned by the sports governing body the International Rugby Board . The tournament was held in Barcelona, Spain...
in Barcelona, the 2006 World Cup
2006 Women's Rugby World Cup
The 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup took place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The tournament began on 31 August and ended on 17 September 2006. The 2006 tournament was the third World Cup approved by the IRB, the previous two being held 2002 in Spain and in the Netherlands, in 1998...
in Edmonton, Canada, and the 2010 World Cup
2010 Women's Rugby World Cup
The 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup was the sixth edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup and was being held in England. The International Rugby Board Executive Committee selected the host union following a recommendation from the Rugby World Cup Limited board after considering bids from the Rugby...
in London, England. The Black Ferns have participated in most WRWC events since its inauguration in 1991, only missing the 1994 championship in Scotland. They also won the Canada Cup
Canada Cup (rugby)
The Canada Cup for women's rugby union is the title of an international rugby tournament staged in Canada. The tournament generally features Canada, and two or three other invited nations. So far there have been four tournaments - 1993, 1996, 2000, and 2005...
in 1996, 2000, and 2005.
Farah Palmer
Farah Palmer
Farah Rangikoepa Palmer, ONZM is a lecturer in the Department of Management at Massey University and a former captain of New Zealand's women's national rugby union team, the Black Ferns.-Career:...
, who had been captain since 1997, lost her captaincy in 2005 due to a shoulder injury. However, she was honoured as International Women's (Rugby) Personality of the Year at the IRB Awards
IRB Awards
The IRB Awards are given out annually by the International Rugby Board, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001...
. During that year, Rochelle Martin and Anna Richards led the team in the 2005 test series against England, which the Black Ferns won 2-0. For the 5th Women's Rugby World Cup in Canada, Farah Palmer fought her way back into the Black Ferns team. After again leading the team to World Cup victory, Palmer announced her retirement from the Black Ferns in September 2006.
While rugby is the most popular spectator game in New Zealand, the Black Ferns have suffered in the past from similar problems to any women's sport—under-funding, lack of support and lack of publicity. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and IRB have been criticised for not doing more to promote women's rugby, although support is beginning to build in those organisations. The NZRU started funding the Black Ferns in 1995, thus giving a great boost to their game. Accordingly the Black Ferns have benefitted from being included in NZRU High Performance initiatives. Along with professional coaches the team has had access to professional development resources such as analysis. The Black Ferns have used Verusco
Verusco
Verusco Technologies is a video analysis software and statistics provider based in Palmerston North, New Zealand. They supply a number of the top Rugby Union teams including the current Super 14 champions, the Blue Bulls, the All Blacks as well as all other New Zealand teams, most South African...
Technologies TryMaker video analysis system, as used by the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. In more recent times, the team's profile has risen greatly at a grassroots level, due in great part to their string of successes, and it is increasingly seen to be a national team on the same basis as any other.
In January 2010 NZRU announced that the National Provincial Competition (NPC) will have to go due to budget cuts. This has been a shock for many women players especially since it is a World Cup year. Former captain Farah Palmer was one of the women who commented on that. NZRU said women's domestic rugby is one of many victims of the tight financial times. They have faced a barrage of criticism for their decision. General manager of provincial rugby Neil Sorenson said NZRU is going to replace the competition with camps and trials for the Black Ferns.
Results
The first four games listed below - played at RugbyFest 1990 - are not generally accepted as being internationals by New Zealand authorities. However, in men's rugby it is general practice to award full international status to any games where ONE side considers a game to be an international. As a result all games in that tournament have been treated as full internationals in this article.Summary
(Full internationals only)| Opponent | First game | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1991 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1997 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 75.00% | |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1996 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1998 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1990 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1998 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1990 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| 1990 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.71% | |
| 1991 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | |
| World XV | 1990 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Summary 1990- | 60 | 55 | 0 | 5 | 91.67% |
Full internationals
See Women's international rugby for information about the status of international games and match numbering.Other internationals
Current Squad
| Player | Position | Date of Birth/Age | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Robertson | Prop | Canterbury | |
| Doris Taufateau | Prop | Auckland | |
| Melodie Bosman | Prop | Canterbury | |
| Ruth McKay | Prop | Manawatu | |
| Fiao’o Fa’amausili | Hooker | Auckland | |
| Karina Penetito | Hooker | Auckland | |
| Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox | Hooker | Canterbury | |
| Monalisa Codling | Lock | Auckland | |
| Victoria Heighway | Lock | Auckland | |
| Vita Robinson | Lock | Auckland | |
| Aroha Savage | Loose Forward | Auckland | |
| Joan Sione | Loose Forward | Auckland | |
| Justine Lavea | Loose Forward | Auckland | |
| Linda Itunu | Loose Forward | Auckland | |
| Melissa Ruscoe Melissa Ruscoe Melissa Ruscoe MNZM is a New Zealand sportswoman who has served as captain of her country's national team in two different football codes—association football and rugby union.... |
Loose Forward | Canterbury | |
| Emma Jensen | Halfback | Auckland | |
| Kendra Cocksedge | Halfback | Canterbury | |
| Kelly Brazier Kelly Brazier Kelly Brazier is a female New Zealand rugby union player. She plays flyhalf, centre or fullback in New Zealand, Otago Spirit and Alhambra Union.... |
Flyhalf | Otago | |
| Anna Richards | Flyhalf | Auckland | |
| Huriana Manuel | Centre | Auckland | |
| Carla Hohepa Carla Hohepa Cala Hohepa is a female New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a wing for New Zealand, Otago Spirit and Alhambra Union.... |
Wing | Otago | |
| Renee Wickcliffe | Wing | Auckland | |
| Victoria Grant | Wing | Auckland | |
| Halie Hurring | Utility Back | Canterbury | |
| Rebecca Hull | Utility Back | Wellington | |
| Trish Hina | Utility Back | Auckland |