[2014 Mid Year Tests] Women's Rugby

[Shaggy]

Hi all,

With the 2014 Women's RWC to be held in France about 100 days away, The New Zealand Black Ferns are hosting their Australian, Canadian, and Samoan counterparts in June.

This should be a good indicator of how each team is progressing, and provide some much needed game time prior to the big event.

The match schedule as per the Allblacks.com website http://www.allblacks.com/News/24889/black-ferns-squad-for-international-womens-rugby-series , are as follows:

The International Women’s Rugby Series schedule is as follows: (NZ times shown)

Sunday 1 June
Black Ferns v Australia
Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Kick-off 5:40pm

Friday 6 June:
Australia v Canada
Tauranga Domain, Tauranga
Kick-off 2:30pm

Saturday 7 June:
Black Ferns v Samoa (curtain raiser to All Blacks v England)
Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 5:00pm

Tuesday 10 June:
Black Ferns v Canada
Tauranga Domain, Tauranga
Kick-off 2:30pm

Saturday 14 June
Black Ferns v Canada
Rugby Park, Whakatane
Kick-off 2:30pm

The New Zealand Squad as per the same link

The Black Ferns squad for the 2014 International Women’s Rugby Series in Auckland and Bay of Plenty is (* denotes new cap):

FORWARDS:

Props

Ruth McKay (Manawatu)
Aleisha Nelson (Auckland)
Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox (Canterbury)
Kathleen Wilton (Otago)

Hookers

Fiao’o Fa’amausili (capt) (Auckland)
Te-Kura Ngata-Aerengamate * (Counties)

Locks

Eloise Blackwell (Auckland)
Sanita Levave* (Wellington)
Jackie Patea (Wellington)

Loose Forwards

Rawinia Everitt (Counties)
Linda Itunu (Auckland)
Justine Lavea (Auckland)
Casey Robertson (Canterbury)
Aroha Savage (Counties)

BACKS:

Halfbacks

Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury)
Emma Jensen (Auckland)

First five-eighths

Kelly Brazier (Otago)
Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali (Otago)

Midfielders

Honey Hireme * (Waikato)
Huriana Manuel (Auckland)
Claire Richardson (Auckland)
Amiria Rule (vice capt) (Canterbury)

Wing/Fullback

Shakira Baker (Manawatu)
Renee Wickliffe (Counties)
Portia Woodman (Auckland)
Selica Winiata (Manawatu)

Not available for selection due to injury:
Hazel Tubic

2013 Black Ferns unavailable for family reasons:
Victoria Grant
Vita Dryden
Karina Stowers

 

[goodNumber10]

will be keeping an eye on this.

I'm looking forward to the World Cup, I live in Paris so i'm hoping to get along to some of knockout games, the Marcoussis is a bit to far for me to get to so the pool games won't be possible.

I'm struggling to see who can Challenge the Ferns, England seem to be very inconsistent over the last two seasons so I think it may be more heartbreak for them.

 

[Shaggy]

will be keeping an eye on this.

I'm looking forward to the World Cup, I live in Paris so i'm hoping to get along to some of knockout games, the Marcoussis is a bit to far for me to get to so the pool games won't be possible.

I'm struggling to see who can Challenge the Ferns, England seem to be very inconsistent over the last two seasons so I think it may be more heartbreak for them.

Yeah, I know the likes of Canada and perhaps Australia have improved a lot and probably narrowed the gap on the top two, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't England or New Zealand that take the ***le though ... I'm just hoping they'll be some coverage (I'll have to check out the IRB site)

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Sadly in SA womens rugby is still very much taboo.